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LOT 0117

Estimate
GBP (£) 1,000 - 1,700
EUR (€) 1,160 - 1,970
USD ($) 1,340 - 2,280

ROMAN BRONZE STATUE OF A BEAR KILLING A DEER
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (398 grams, 10 cm).

On a stepped triangular base, bear with head raised, forepaws round the neck of a deer with legs folded beneath the body.

PROVENANCE:
Nicolas Koutoulakis (1910-1996).
Private collection of Mr K.A.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

PUBLISHED:
Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 26th May-15th September 2025; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.

LITERATURE:
Cf. Avissar, M., "Lod–A Mosaic Floor," in Excavations and Surveys in Israel 17, 1998, pp. 169–172.

FOOTNOTES:
Combat between large animals was a popular theme in Roman art. The staging of such fights in the Flavian Amphitheatre in the heart of Rome is evidenced. Furthermore, the 3rd-4th century A.D. mosaic floor unearthed at Lod, Israel, in 1996 shows several scenes with ferocious wild animal - a lion and lioness, an elephant, a giraffe, a rhinoceros, a tiger, and a wild bull - all arranging themselves for a colossal fight to the death. The mosaic was lifted intact and is on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

CONDITION
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