Ancient Roman Bronze Statuette of Isis-Fortuna

$947.78

A finely modelled Ancient Roman cast bronze statuette depicting the Egyptian-Roman goddess Isis-Fortuna. The figure is portrayed in classical contrapposto pose, standing with her weigh on her right leg and with her left leg slightly bent at the knee, and wearing a himation over a finely draped chiton. She appears holding in her right hand the typical attribute of the Roman goddess Fortuna, the ship’s rudder, a symbol of the deity’s control on course of human lives. Unfortunately, the left harm is complete missing, however we can imagine that it might have hold a cornucopia, symbol of abundance and prosperity. Her face is turned to the right and wearing and the elaborate headdress of Isis, now partially missing.

Date: Circa 1st-3rd century AD
Condition: Fine, left harm and headpiece partially missing.

SOLD

The cult of Isis emerged in Roman religion from the 1st century. The Egyptian goddess Isis was worshipped combined with other Roman goddesses, creating new composite deities, such as Isis-Fortuna. In Ancient Roman pantheon Fortuna, the equivalent of Greek Tyche, was the goddess of fortune, good luck and fertility, while Isis was worshipped for her powers related to the afterlife. Bronze statuettes of Isis-Fortuna, such as this fine example, would have featured attributes of both deities, such as the Isis knot tied to her robes and the headdress of Isis, a lunar disk between horns or feathers, and Fortuna’s rudder and cornucopia.

To discover more about religous syncretisms in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: Religious Syncretisms in the Ancient Mediterranean Region.

Weight 75.3 g
Dimensions W 4 x H 8.9 cm
Culture

Metal

Region

Roman Mythology

Reference: For Similar: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, item 96.9.400