This copper-alloy owl figurine was found last year by a metal-detectorist on cultivated land in the Cotswolds, and it dates to the Roman period, when owls were associated with the goddess Minerva. The 6.8cm-tall bird is perched on a round, flanged pedestal, which is hollow in the middle, suggesting that the artefact may once have been mounted on top of another object, now lost.
The owl’s small, pointed beak protrudes from the centre of its head, and there are hollow circles on either side of its face, representing eyes. These eyeholes, set within a heavy, textured brow ridge with vertical grooves, would once have been decorated with inlays designed to further animate the object.
The bird is shown standing upright, facing slightly to the right, with its legs spread, and its feet have three claws each, defined by tiny grooves. Its curving breast is decorated with ‘feathers’ – rows of semi-circles with radiating lines – while its tail, which sticks out towards the rear, is just as well-defined, having been embellished with linear grooves for tail feathers. The decoration on the bird’s wings, which are furled across its back, is worn, but traces of tighter curvilinear grooves, suggestive of wing feathers, can still be seen.
