1st-2nd century AD. A small bronze swing handled situla with lathe turned designs on the body, arched handle with nicely shaped lugs, bronze loops to the sides; possibly used for medical purposes. See a similar item in the Varna Archaeological Museum, preserved inside the grave of a physician, dated to the first or second century AD. 302 grams, 14.5cm (5 3/4"). Property of a South London collector; previously acquired on the European art market 1970-1980. Roman situlae, used for medical, religious or alimentary purposes, favoured a simple shape curving from the base, becoming vertical at the top, with a wide mouth and no shoulder, but sometimes a projecting rim. These included another variety of uses, including for washing and bathing. Any decoration was often concentrated on the upper part of the sides, and often, in the simpler situlae, a lathe decoration as with this specimen.