Roman Bronze Ram Statuette

Name: Roman Bronze Ram Statuette
SKU: LD-617
Price: 295.00 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

£ 295.00

A finely crafted Roman bronze ram statuette. The animal is presented standing on all four legs on a rectangular base with its head slightly tilted. The anatomical features have been naturalistically rendered including the mouth, curved horns and long tail. Curved indentations across the body have been used to mimic the sheep’s wool. This statuette has been mounted on a custom-made stand.

Date: Circa 1st-3rd century AD
Provenance: ‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
Condition: Very fine condition, encrustation and patination to the surface. Height without the stand; 3.1cm

SOLD

SKU: LD-617 Category: Ancient Figurines & Statues Tags: Animals, Patination, Rams & Sheep

Description
Additional information

The ram was one of the most popular sacrificial animals in the Roman world, and were also sacrificed as part of the suovetaurilia; one of the most sacred rites in Roman pagan antiquity. Ram’s would have been part of public ceremonies for events such as blessing the military before battle. Additionally, rams were often associated with fertility and new life, so it is therefore possible that this bronze figurine could have been a votive offering of some kind.

For more information about the meanings of animals in Roman art, see our relevant blog post: Animal Symbolism in Roman Art.