It's a very slow news day, so I might have a couple of auction items if nothing substantial hits the mailbox in the next half hour or so. We'll begin with this piece coming up for auction at Christies ... it's a 4th century terracotta applique of a lion attacking a horse. I've often wondered about the purpose of items such as these; the details page suggests it was used to decorate a sarcophagus ... but the subject matter causes me to wonder: are the figures heraldic?