Lot 51A
Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. An ancient Roman marble stele decorated in relief with a leafy garland suspended between two bucrania, a large rosette presented between them just above the swag of the garland, and an architectural pediment above. Bucrania (frontally facing bull or ox heads with splayed horns) were favored forms of decoration in the Classical world, the symbolic motif commemorating the religious practice of sacrificing bulls appearing on monuments as well as pottery and furniture. Size: 2"L (depth) x 16" W x 15.75" H (5.1 cm x 40.6 cm x 40 cm); 19" H (48.3 cm) on included custom stand.
A stele like this example would have been erected as a monument, oftentimes used in a funerary or commemorative context. Stone stelae were also used as boundary markers, government notices to announce laws and decrees, or to record a ruler's honors and accomplishments. The bucranium motif originated in a ceremony during which an ox's head was hung from the beams supporting a temple roof. The custom of sacrificing garlanded oxen has a very long history - extending back to the Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk in Anatolia. During Bronze Age Crete, bucrania served as an element of the bull and double-ax cult, wherein the bull's head was adorned with a garland of bay leaves. This practice of adorning architecture and monuments with bucrania extended to the later Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods. One can find extant examples on a frieze in the temple complex of Samothrace, Greece, a frieze of the Temple of Vespasian and Titus in Rome, as well as at the 17th century Knole Palace in Kent, England. What's more, a first century fresco from Boscoreale that features bucrania and was protected by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Provenance: Formerly in the P. R. collection, Bad Homburg, Germany, acquired in the 1960s.
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#127978
- Condition: Broken at the bottom as shown. Surface weathered, otherwise intact and no repairs.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |