Roman, Imperial, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A fabulous fragment of a marble relief featuring the head of a ram and the paw of a lion. Facing left, the ram's head is shown in profile in the bottom left corner. The ancient animal presents with a naturalistic head featuring a long snout, an open mouth, incised nostrils, slender eyes, a heavy brow, and pointed ears all topped by a small tuft of hair and dramatically swooping horns adorned with diagonal ridges. The lion's muscular leg juts out from the right, protruding from behind the beast's curved chest. His paw hangs idly, displaying three toes with large claws and lightly grazing the ram's head, as though playing with his meal. The side of the gorgeous sculpture is embellished with the bottom half of a column, decorated with a tiered base and vertical striations. Size: 12.75" W x 16.25" H (32.4 cm x 41.3 cm); 23.375" H (59.4 cm) on included custom stand.
By Roman times, the ram was already an ancient (with respect to the Romans) symbol of virility and masculinity, and the god Mercury (Greek Hermes) was often accompanied by a ram to symbolize fertility.
Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000
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#159159
Condition
Fragment of larger piece. Expected nicks, chips, abrasions and softening of detail commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with light patina in areas.