A ROMAN BRONZE SPOUT

CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN BRONZE SPOUT
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
In the form of a head of Bacchus emerging from a circular plate, the god wearing a twisted wreath of ivy leaves and berries above a dotted crosshatched fillet, his lidded eyes articulated, the gently-arching brows merging with the bridge of his nose, the foliate spout projecting from his chin, a cylindrical projection at the top of the head to accommodate the now-missing valve handle
6¼ in. (15.9 cm.) high

Provenance

Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, New York, 5 June 1999, lot 184.

Lot Essay

This unusually large spout, based on the presence of Bacchus, must have been attached to a large vessel used for dispensing wine. See for example the bronze "samovar" from the casa dei Cubicoli floreali in Pompeii, no. 85 in Conticello, Rediscovering Pompeii.

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