Details

LOT 0043

Etruscan Bronze Statuette of a Priest Offering

4TH-2ND CENTURY B.C.

5 1/2 in. (279 grams total, 14 cm including stand).

Modelled standing barefoot on an irregular base, wearing an ankle-length chlamys over a short-sleeved tunic; the left arm supporting a bunch of grapes, the right hand with a patera; the hair and beard neatly dressed; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]

Provenance

From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12317-214667.

Literature

Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 130, for type.

Footnotes

Lares were supernatural guardians revered in ancient Roman, the cult probably adapted from an Etruscan predecessor; the word lar derives from Etruscan larth - a leader or overlord. They were believed to guard the family's wealth and look after their health and wellbeing. An offering-plate is usually modelled in one of the figure's hands, onto which small libations could be made. They were usually worshipped in groups, but offerings to individuals are also known.