Two things stand out in what appears to be a partially restored Classical bronze.
First, his right arm seems to have a crimp in it, and second, what is that thing on his left arm?
At first I thought it was a snake, but on closer examination, I'm not so sure.
Just a guess, but could those be the reins for a horse? I'm getting a charioteer vibe from the statue.
ReplyDeleteThe staff and the snake were both themes associated with the Greek god of healing and medicine, we know in the Latinate form of his name as Ascelpius. The staff was known as the Rod of Ascelpius (Ράβδος του Ασκληπιού - Rábdos tou Asklipioú) although the snake was usually depicted would around the rod. (It is the origin of the symbol often used for pharmacies, infirmaries and pharmaceutical companies today.) The god Hermes (Mercury in carried a caduceus (κηρύκειον - kērū́keion) which was a "herald's wand" or "staff" with wings on the pommel and around which two intertwining snakes were wound. Hermes wore a winged cap and sandals known in Latin as talaria and πτερόεντα πέδιλα (pteróenta pédila). I can't quite see if there are two snakes in the image, nor if the cap has wings, so I would play safe and say this is most likely a statue associated with Ascelpius.
DeleteCalorman is up on his mythology, but like he says, its hard to make out the details. It's an odd statue in any case.
DeleteI like the model a lot more than the statue.
ReplyDeleteI won't argue with that, lol. I posted it at least partly because it was so odd looking.
DeleteI did a Google image search on the statue. It's a statue of Mars, the god of war, found in a Roman villa in Zeugma in what is now southern Turkey and currently in a museum in Zeugma. From other pictures (see https://arkeokultur.com/mars-ares-heykeli/) the thing he's holding is definitely not a snake. Some websites claimed it was a bouquet of flowers, which to me it certainly is not. Another website said it appears to be a scourge, which is possible.
ReplyDeleteLet's go with scourge. Thanks for your research, Larry.
DeleteI like the way the model's oiling partly matches the patina of the statue. Also "hanging" beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan of oiling, but it has its uses at times. I've always heard that oiling was used to accentuate muscle development, but maybe there was a secondary desire to resemble statues.
DeleteI think under subtle lighting in can enhance the appearance of muscular development. But the glare from harsh lights tend to burn this out.
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