I have had these Roman cap mounts for several years – they come from Yorkshire and were found by a metal detectorist. They look like the top of Roman tombs but they are tiny, no more than 2 cm long. The garden at Hauser & Wirth will be full of insects and bees, in particular. But bees are under threat and without them we are doomed so these tombs are a comment on the danger of losing them.
We made small silver boxes to hold the insect, the inside of which is gilded in 24 carat gold and on the outside inscriptions are engraved.
I was given a rare female Ashy Mining Bee and she was the first inhabitant. The second is for a Yellow Jacket Wasp, juvenile.
The tombs are sold as a pair.
Dimensions 2 cm × 1.35 cm.