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LOT 0180
Large Roman Bronze Statuette of Jupiter
CIRCA 3RD CENTURY A.D.
8 1/2 in. (1.1 kg, 21.5 cm including stand).
Modelled in the half-round and hollow to the reverse, the god with knees flexed, one of his sandaled feet resting on a ram's head; left arm raised to hold a sceptre (absent) and right hand holding a thunderbolt; pierced at the midriff for attachment; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom 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.
Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 11th September-2nd December 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.
LiteratureCf. similar (but not identical) statuette in Boucher, S., Recherches sur les Bronzes Figurés de Gaule Pré-Romaine et Romaine, Rome, 1976, item 231.
FootnotesThe figurine of Jupiter seems to be a provincial work of Gallo-Roman origin. Contrary to the iconographic tradition of the king of the gods, he is usually depicted nude and with a cloak on his left arm, the statuette shows a Jupiter covered by a large cloak and vestis talaris, which also closely resembles the Gallo-Roman iconography of Jupiter-Sucellus.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Roman Bronze Statuette of Lar Holding Cornucopia
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Possibly representing the god Silvanus, dressed in a short-sleeved tunic, gathered at the waist by a belt, wearing short boots and holding a cornucopia in his left arm; mounted on a polyhedral base. 264 grams, 13.2 cm
From a private family collection formed since the early 19th century, thence by descent. Property of a New Zealand legal professional. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12323-223710.
Most probably our specimen is from a private house, or private sacellum. The style of the statuette and comparison with other similar pieces points to a dating under the Trajan or Hadrian Empire. The true altar of the lares was the domestic fireplace, centre of the Roman domus, and their temple, the atrium.
