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Unknown Maker, Roman

Household god (lar)
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Roman

Culture

Roman

Title

Household god (lar)

Period

Ancient

Year

late 200s CE-early 300sCE

Medium

  • bronze

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • bronze

Materials

bronze

Dimensions

Height: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Anonymous gift

Object Number

62.061

Type

  • Sculpture

Publications

  • Books

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

  • Books

Classical Bronzes

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

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.

Recent Accessions
Sep 03, 1963 – Sep 22, 1963

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Roman
Household god (lar), late 200s CE-early 300sCE
Bronze
Height: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 inches)
Anonymous gift 62.061

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Feedback

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