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Lot Essay
Although the absence of the head and attributes makes identification of this bronze impossible, the heroic or larger than lifesized scale is unlikely for an athlete, thus narrowing the choice to emperor, god or hero. The pose is well known for depictions of emperors, especially during the Antonine and Severan Periods, when large-scale dedications to the Imperial Family were common. See for example the figure of Lucius Verus, no. 50 in Mattusch, The Fire of Hephaistos, Large Classical Bronzes from North American Collections.
According to Mattusch (op. cit. p. 331), "By the latter part of the second century A.D., the youthful, standing nude had been a common statue type for nearly seven centuries and would have been familiar to all viewers. This formula -- the strong, young, authoritative figure -- could be used interchangeably to represent gods, heroes, victors, and rulers. Slight variations of gesture and changes of attributes allowed for an abundance of interpretations, all of them easily readable by the general public. A statue representing Lucius Verus at age thirty-eight or Marcus Aurelius at age fifty-four would have the same standard body, one which was indiscriminately youthful and in prime condition. The viewer's recognition of the ruler depended primarily upon the portrait head affixed to that body and the accompanying inscriptions. Gestures, clothes, and attributes were used to convey more about the specific role the emperor was playing, the message he was delivering, or the occasion for which the statue was erected."
There are only very few such bronzes surviving from antiquity, nearly all of which are institutionally owned.
According to Mattusch (op. cit. p. 331), "By the latter part of the second century A.D., the youthful, standing nude had been a common statue type for nearly seven centuries and would have been familiar to all viewers. This formula -- the strong, young, authoritative figure -- could be used interchangeably to represent gods, heroes, victors, and rulers. Slight variations of gesture and changes of attributes allowed for an abundance of interpretations, all of them easily readable by the general public. A statue representing Lucius Verus at age thirty-eight or Marcus Aurelius at age fifty-four would have the same standard body, one which was indiscriminately youthful and in prime condition. The viewer's recognition of the ruler depended primarily upon the portrait head affixed to that body and the accompanying inscriptions. Gestures, clothes, and attributes were used to convey more about the specific role the emperor was playing, the message he was delivering, or the occasion for which the statue was erected."
There are only very few such bronzes surviving from antiquity, nearly all of which are institutionally owned.