Two Lion's Heads (seat ornaments ?)

Lion's Heads
Roman Empire, from the 
first half of the 4th century
to the second half
of the 6th century.(?)
Quartz
H. 0.12 m ; W. 0.9 m ; 
depth 0.10 m
Cl. 615-616

These two lion's heads were perhaps ornaments on an imperial throne or consulate given the representation of thrones, at the end of Antiquity, in mosaics (Sainte Majeure, Rome), sculptures, sarcophagi or ivories, and especially in the coins of the 4th to 6th centuries. These pieces were long attributed to Treves, in the Lower Empire, where there was a glyptic workshop. The possibility of another origin, from the Western or the Eastern empire, cannot be discarded. Precise dating is impossible due to the absence of other objects for true comparison.