Roman Marble Relief Tropaeum Fragment, Cuirass & Shield

About Auction

Live

Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Mar 24, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-03-24 10:00:00 2022-03-24 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-ethnographic-fine-art-9057
Museum-worthy examples of classical antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Viking, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

View Full Catalog (416)

• Lot Description
  Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2ndto 3rd century CE. An exceptional marble relief fragment of a tropaeum or trophy monument depicting the spoils of war with a muscled cuirass and a large shield bearing the image of an anguiped - a divinity with serpents for legs. Dynamically placed, the cuirass diagonally leans to the right displaying carefully carved abdominal and pectoral muscles, a prominent collar, and shoulder straps adorned with spiraling motifs. A short sleeve projects from the right arm socket, featuring horizontal striations. The shield sits perpendicular to the cuirass, boasting the relief image of an anguiped, perhaps intended to be a monstrous, serpent-footed giant. Size: 14.8" W x 9.6" H (37.6 cm x 24.4 cm); 13.7" H (34.8 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Standing nude, the intimidating creature presents an athletic physique with a robust torso, a drilled navel, delineated genitalia, and strong legs that lead to coiling and writhing bodies of snakes, each terminating in hissing viper heads. Powerful arms at his sides, the mythological figure holds a scepter in his left hand and a club or weapon of some kind in the other.
  
  Some myths convey the fact that the goddess Gaia was impregnated by the blood of the castrated sky-god Uranus. She subsequently bore a tribe of 100 giants which were customarily depicted as primitives with serpents instead of legs. They were possibly descended from the barbarian tribes of Thrace. The creature depicted on this shield may likely be one of these giants.
  
  In Ancient Greece, the victor in a battle would erect a monument called a tropaion or "trophy" on the battlefield to commemorate their victory. Initially, this consisted of a living tree with lateral branches on which they would hang the armor of their defeated foe and pile the enemies' helmets, cuirasses, and shields at the base. This tradition became known as a tropaeum in Ancient Rome, and soon merged with the Roman triumph so that a trophy could be displayed in the city for all to see, thus more effective for impressing citizens and furthering one's own political career. The symbolic effectiveness of the tropaeum became so well recognized that Romans chose to display sculpted reliefs of them, such as this example, to serve as an enduring record of their victories rather than the fleeting presence of one constructed in the traditional fashion.
  
  Marble statuary, reliefs, and cladding were ubiquitous in the Roman world, as the remains of the preserved cities at Herculaneum and Pompeii demonstrate. Their sculpture was intended to conjure human vitality, and was inspired by the works of Polykleitos, who became the model to which sculptors aspired in Greco-Roman as well as later Western European art. Greco-Roman statuary, unlike that of the other Mediterranean civilizations like Egypt, Persia, etc., celebrated the naturalistic human form. This included representations of their gods, who appear as if living people, dressed as if they are elite citizens. For example, the famous statue of Hades with Cerberus, his three-headed dog, today on display at the Archaeological Museum of Crete, has an extremely realistic quality despite its fantastical nature, down to the details on each dog head. This suggests an intriguing, more personal relationship with the gods rather than the more abstract or magical portrayals of other contemporary societies.
  
  For more examples of Roman marble relief tropaea see: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.297 and 2002.568 and Berlin State Museums (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin), Antikensammlung, 958a and 958b.
  
  Provenance: private East Coast collection, New York, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
  
  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #170777

  Condition

  Fragment of a larger piece. Expected nicks, chips, scratches, and abrasions throughout. Some softening of detail, especially to proper right sleeve of cuirass and shoulders and head of anguiped. Otherwise, excellent with nice remaining details and great encrustations.
• Shipping Info

  • All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 26.50 %