A solid, cast bronze decorative applique handle attachment with a concave back to sit flush against the curved wall of a luxury bronze vessel. The applique depicts a facing mythological sphinx, in the form of a figure with a detailed human face with wide-open almond eyes, beneath a multi-tiered, conical headdress or crown. Below the human neck, the body transitions into a winged creature. Large feathers or stylized wings fan out symmetrically on both sides of the central torso. The legs are tucked tightly upward toward the chest, meeting at a central base that tapers into stylized scrolls.
 
Roman Empire: Circa 1st century BC. - 2nd century AD. 
 
Condition: Intact, with a rich, dark-green and olive patina.
Height 6.8 cms (2.7 ins)
 
Provenance: Swiss priv. coll. P. Bonsera, 2024. Purchased from Edgar L. Owen, New Jersey, USA. (See Edgar L. Owen item 8720: A fine bronze attachment in the form of a sphinx. The solid cast attachment with concave.
 
In Roman material culture, sphinxes frequently adorned luxury goods, furniture, oil lamps, and high-end banquet vessels. They served both an apotropaic function (warding off evil spirits and bad luck) and as an elite status symbol reflecting the owner's wealth, cosmopolitan taste, and fascination with classical mythology and exotic Eastern iconography.