Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. An ancient cast bronze right foot from a larger figure with a pronounced arch and carefully delineated digits and nailbeds - quite naturalistically rendered. In the Classical World, bronze was the preferred material for dedicatory sculpture. Due to its high tensile strength, bronze enabled a sculptor to create figures with impressive poses. Stone, on the other hand, presented more limitations. Unfortunately, though many bronze sculptures were created during antiquity, most have vanished with far fewer surviving in comparison to their marble counterparts, as bronze sculptures were frequently melted down, so that the bronze could be reused. Because of this, surviving Roman bronzes like this example are very special. Size: 7.75" L x 6.25" H (19.7 cm x 15.9 cm); 7" H (17.8 cm) on included custom stand.
Life-size or monumental statues were built via the lost-wax casting method and sections were soldered together to create the figure. Due to this production method, when statues fell during battle or natural disasters, these joins were weak points. Hence we have more bronze fragments than intact statues today.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
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#138596
Condition
A fragment with losses to the ankle as shown and two more areas of loss on the underside of the foot. Rich, dark patina.