LOT 0169

Roman Life-Size Gesturing Statue Arm

1ST CENTURY AD

15 1/4" (2.87 kg total, 39cm).

A hollow-form bronze right arm bent at a right angle at the elbow gesturing away from the absent body, hand held in directing pose, index finger extended, thumb resting on three fingers curled towards the palm; clearly defined fingernails and some detailing to the palm; mounted on a custom-made stand.

From a private English collection since 1980-2019; previously in an old UK collection, prior to 1980.

See Archaeological Museum of Cuenca, Castile la Mancha, Spain, for a similar bronze arm belonging to a Roman statue found in the city of Valeria, province of Cuenca.

The right arm, preserved from below the elbow to the fingertips, comes from a monumental statue that was fashioned and cast by the lost wax method. Due to the size of the completed figure, the component parts were made separately and then joined. The physiognomy is well-rendered, especially that of the fingers, where the nails and cuticles are defined. The expressive gesticulation emphasises the liveliness of the statue.