Dacian gold bracelet, 3,000 years old – dated approximately XII-IX BC – was awarded in the Artmark auction that took place on Tuesday evening (September 17), at the Cesianu-Racoviță Palace, and will go to the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu!
The spectacular piece of jewelry was purchased for €35,000 (from a starting price of €7,000) by an art and history collector who wanted to keep it on display in a museum institution.
Thus, after the first meeting with the public, which was occasioned by the exceptional exhibition, with free entry, hosted by the Artmark Galleries, the antique bracelet will be able to be admired further by lovers of ancient Romanian history, who will be able to view it in the section’s permanent exhibition of history of the renowned Brukenthal National Museum.
“I received with joy the proposal of the A10 by Artmark Auction House to exhibit, through the generosity of the anonymous buyer, the Dacian bracelet purchased at the auction on September 17. Brukenthal National Museum has a very good collaboration with Artmark. Over time, we have had various other collaborations, such as the recent NFTs of ten of our most important masterpieces, which were the subject of a charity auction to raise funds for much-needed restoration work for the work we do. we unfold We are glad that there are collectors, as it happens in the present case, who, when they acquire an important piece, such as this Dacian bracelet, want to exhibit it for a period of time in a museum, so that the public wide to see it. We also consulted the expertise carried out by Dr. Corina Borș (scientific researcher / expert archaeologist in the Archeology Section of the National Museum of Romanian History – n.r.) for this piece and decided that this piece should be exhibited in the Museum in the future « Altemberger House» within the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu. We await it, therefore, with joy and impatience, both me and our colleagues, because it is a bracelet of particular importance, both for the history of the country and for Romanian art and culture. We congratulate the collector who wanted to purchase this piece and thank the A10 by Artmark Auction House for the collaboration and dialogue. We will soon announce the date from which this bracelet can be visited in Sibiu. We are preparing for the piece to be displayed at Brukenthal in a distinct exhibition mode, together with texts and data about it and its provenance – so we will reserve a separate place for it so that the bracelet can be visited in all its glory. Over time, the Brukenthal National Museum has also exhibited works purchased in Artmark auctions, such as when we exhibited two famous paintings by Nicolae Grigorescu – «Cart with oxen» (in 2010) and «Girl with red beads» (in 2011). This time, however, we are all the more delighted as it is the first time that the Brukenthal Museum can exhibit a piece of such historical importance, originating from the Dacian period, from a private collection. It is a first for us”, declares Dr. Alexandru Constantin Chituță, director of the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu.
The bracelet comes from the town of Costești (Argeș county), from a private collection inherited on the maternal line for six generations. According to the family’s accounts, Ilie and Rada Neacșu bequeathed it to their daughter, Catrina Caterina, who later bequeathed it to her daughter, Catrina Ioana, the great-grandmother of the current owner. The bracelet is known in the specialized literature, being documented by its mention, in 2014, in the Archeological Repertory of Argeș County (item 125): “On the territory of the locality, a gold bar bracelet was discovered, by chance, before 2005 twisted, with a “hook-eye” closure system, probably dating from the beginning of the first Iron Age. The diameter is max. 9.2 cm, and the weight of 23.4 gr. It was kept in the possession of the descendants of the discoverer”. This artifact represents a rare discovery for the Muntenia geographical area and the reference chronological period, especially since, according to specialists, no other direct analogies are known for the current territory of Romania. The bracelet belongs to the category of jewelry made of precious metal, being worn by an elite character of those times. This specimen was part of the port elements associated with the elite of the societies that precede the Geto-Dacian era on the current territory of Romania, both male and female.
“There is a whole discussion in Romanian research about the so-called Getic treasure. Similar pieces from the National History Museum, primarily the famous Dacian bracelets found in the last two decades, are hoarding pieces. So there are pieces that were not intended for the port, but for a special form of hoarding. We know that in pre-monetary societies, metal was hoarded in the form of objects that we also encounter as objects of common use. That’s why we have ingots in the form of jewelry elements, all over Europe. This bracelet has also definitely been worn. Beyond the intrinsic value of a treasure object, it is an object that very well indicates the social and political developments in the Romanian space. Therefore, it is an extraordinary act to be able to bid for such a piece”, explained the university professor. Dr. Carol Căpiță, from the Department of Ancient History and Archeology of the Faculty of History Bucharest – for the Artmark YouTube channel.
Only 35K. Very cheap for an ancient area that was trading with the ancient Greeks. neoRomania should build its brand around the Dacian and not the later Romans!