A ROMAN MARBLE DEITY

CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE DEITY
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
Depicted standing on an integral oval plinth with his weight on his right leg, the left bent at the knee, wearing sandals, a short-sleeved tunic, and a heavy cloak draped around his legs, over his left arm, and pulled up over his head, the lowered left hand once holding an attribute, the right arm originally projecting forward, his head turned to his right and angled slightly down, the full curly beard and wavy center-parted hair deeply drilled, the irises hollowed, a tree-trunk support against his right leg, preserving red pigment on the sandals, the plinth, in his left hand, the drapery on his right arm, and on his beard
28 3/8 in. (73.1 cm.) high

Provenance

American Private Collection, 1990s.

Lot Essay

Although no attribute is preserved, the cloak pulled over the head would suggest that this represents the god Saturnus. Of obscure origins, possibly an import from Etruria, Saturnus was an agricultural god, associated with the Greek god Kronos. He had a temple in the Forum at the base of the Capitoline Hill. He normally holds a hooked knife or a cornucopia in one hand, a patera in the other. His festival, the Saturnalia, was the merriest of the year, when gifts were exchanged and slaves were allowed temporary liberties.

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