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Details
LOT 0117
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.
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LOT 0117
Roman Bronze Statue of a Bear Killing a Deer
Estimate £1,000 - 1,700€1,160 - 1,970 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 2,300 (for guidance only)
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