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LOT 0164
Roman Bronze Harpokrates-Eros Statuette
CIRCA 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2 1/4 in. (48 grams, 56 mm).
Seated nude wearing the double-crown and with his forefinger pressed to his lips; supporting a frond on his left arm; hollow to the underside. [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.
Cf. similar item, standing, in the British Museum, London, under accession no.1896,0724.1.
FootnotesHarpokrates was the Greek interpretation of the Egyptian god Har-pa-khered (Horus the child), usually depicted as a small boy. Statues of Harpokrates are preserved in the Greco-Roman Museum of Alexandria (inv.25785), and at the Musei Capitolini, Rome (inv. Scu 646).
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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