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LOT 0142
Roman Bronze Lower Section of Adonis-Tammuz Statue
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (128 grams, 10 cm).
Modelled in the round as a belted torso and legs with tiered tasselled robes and bare feet. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK art market, 1981.
Private collection, London, UK.
Cf. large statue in the Liebighaus Sammlung, Frankfurt am Main, item 192.
FootnotesAdonis was the offspring of an incestuous union between Smyrna and Cinyras. As an infant, he was given by Venus (Aphrodite) to Persephone for protection, but later became an object of desire for both, resulting in a decision by Zeus that he would spend four months with Persephone, four months with Venus and four months with whomever he wished. According to mythological traditions, Adonis was killed by a wild boar during a hunt - either sent by Artemis, or Ares in disguise. Aphrodite pleaded for Adonis' life with Zeus, who allowed the youth to spend half of each year with her and half in the underworld.
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AUCTIONS:
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Symbol of fertility and of good luck, the hare became a popular motif in the pre-Roman Era on the coins of Messina, Etruscan art and coins and Calenian pottery. The hare was a sacred animal to Venus (Aphrodite), often depicted in her worship and associated with love and fertility. -
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Roman Bronze Ring with Seated Fortuna Gemstone
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
D-section hoop and ellipsoid bezel with inset gemstone, intaglio motif of a seated goddess holding a sword blade-uppermost. 2.03 grams, 21.6 mm overall, 15.7 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)
with Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983. Ex private North American collection. London private collection, 2016.
