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Roman

Household god (lar), late 200s CE - early 300sCE

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Roman

Title

Household god (lar)

Year

late 200s CE - early 300sCE

Medium

Bronze

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • bronze

Techniques

  • lost-wax process

Dimensions

Height: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 inches)

Type

  • Sculpture

Credit

Anonymous gift

Object Number

62.061

Projects & Publications

Publications

A Handbook of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

Classical Bronzes

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Recent Accessions

September 3-22, 1963

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries

In ancient Rome, small bronze protective household deities (lares) were grouped in shrines (lararia) throughout the house. This bronze is a well-preserved example of this statue type; only the fingertips and the thumb of the outstretched hand are missing, along with the object his right hand would have held, most likely a cornucopia or drinking horn (rhyton). Under the rear of the skirt a rectangular hole leads to a cavity in the body, suggesting that this lar was cast around a core using the direct method of hollow lost-wax casting.

Traces of gilding can be observed in the folds of the skirt, on the top of the hair and wreath, and on the underside of the skirt. The vertical channels below the sash indicate that the costume also featured inlaid copper strips. Despite the attention paid to this bronze’s surface during antiquity, a casting flaw remains visible in the skirt above the right knee. The surface pitting, however, is most likely not from ancient processes, but rather the result of chemical solvents used by early conservators.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Household god (lar) with the accession number of 62.061. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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