Key with a Horse Head Handle in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Key with a Horse Head Handle
Roman, 100-200 AD
Bronze and iron

Inventory # 96.AC.197

Roman craftsmen turned everyday implements into decorative objects. The handle of this key is fashioned as a horse's head. The flattened ears and swept-back mane indicate that the steed is racing at a gallop. Such an elaborate key adorned with a horse, a symbol of wealth and privilege, suggests the owners' affluence, or his position in the Roman cavalry.

Text from the Getty Villa museum label.