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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1992.256.82
Title
Eagle on Pyramidal Base or Altar
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Roman Eagle Eagle on base
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
2nd-3rd century CE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Anatolia
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/311881

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
5.2 x 3 cm (2 1/16 x 1 3/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Bronze:
Cu, 85.25; Sn, 9.67; Pb, 4.21; Zn, 0.02; Fe, 0.46; Ni, 0.02; Ag, 0.1; Sb, 0.09; As, 0.19; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.005; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The patina is black with spots of black and green. The object is intact, although the front of the triangular base has an area of modern cleaning, where fresh metal was exposed. The eagle and its triangular base were cast as one piece by lost-wax casting. The surface was finished, and the design on the base was cold worked after casting.


Carol Snow (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Louise M. and George E. Bates, Camden, ME (by 1971-1992), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 1992.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Louise M. and George E. Bates
Accession Year
1992
Object Number
1992.256.82
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
Perched with feet together, its wings folded, and its tail extended outward, an eagle stands on a four-sided, hollow base. The base has four globular feet and an incised design on one side. The type is characteristic of Anatolia where it seems to have been particularly popular, to judge from the numbers found there. It belongs to a grouping of small-scale eagles from that region that are represented alone or on the top of bases resembling altars (1). Most are probably ex votos dedicated in rural sanctuaries, but some examples with suspension loops may be apotropaic, serving as pendants or amulets. Eagle figurines are known from all parts of the Roman Empire, where they came to represent the victorious Roman state. They are also connected to the cult of Jupiter, the chief divinity of Imperial Rome; the eagle symbolized the emperor as embodied in that god. Set on a pyramid or altar, this example suggests that it was intended as a dedication in a public sanctuary, or perhaps for display in a domestic cult setting such as a lararium (2).

NOTES:

1. For a summary of bronze eagles of all types, see H. G. Horn, “Ein römische Bronzadler,” Jahrbuch des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums Mainz 19 (1972): 63-82, with extensive bibliography; and T. Schneider and E. Stemplinger, “Adler,” in Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum 1 (Stuttgart, 1950) cols. 87-89.

2. For discussion and examples of this type, see P. G. Warden, The Hilprecht Collection of Greek, Italic, and Roman Bronzes in The University of Pennsylvania Museum (Philadelphia, 1997) 52-55, nos. 175, 177-78, and 181. Compare also D. Bondoc, “New Roman Figurines of Bronze from Dacia Malvensis,” in The Antique Bronzes: Typology, Chronology, Authenticity, ed. C. Museteanu (Bucharest, 2004) 79-83, esp. 82, no. 9.


Aaron J. Paul

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu