Works of Art
Roman Bronze Foot
Period: 1st-2nd Century A.D.
Culture: Roman, Roman World
Category: Statuary, Metalwork
Dimensions: Lenght: 11.4 cm
Price: SOLD
Provenance:
German art market, acquired in 2000
Condition: This bronze foot was cast using the lost wax process; it is filled (until the level of the ankle) with a large and heavy lump of lead to stabilize the statue in its stone base.
Description
This bronze foot certainly belonged to a human statue that was slightly larger than life-size; in the absence of any attribute or of other elements that could lead to its identification, it is not possible to determine with surety if the statue represented a man or a woman, nor any other details (seated or standing figure, nudeor draped…).
The technique of filling entirely, or partially, a cast bronze statuette or figurine with lead is very old (see for example, ancient decorative animals on cauldrons which are sometimes filled with lead). As for larger statues, like in our case, the weight of the lead fixed the statue to its base: the metal was poured directly into the feet (which did not have a bottom) and passed through the holes previously drilled in the base, in order to give the piece balance and maximum stability.
From an artistic point of view, one may notice the fine modeling of the foot’s surface and its precise anatomical rendering (see the toes with wrinkles on the well-formed joints and the toe nails). The slender shape with the well-modeled bone structure and some light veins in relief could indicate that this foot belonged to a statue of a teenager or ta young athletic man.
Bibliography
On ancient bronzes and bronzeworking techniques, see:
BOL P.C., Antike Bronzetechnik, Kunst und Handwerk antiker Erzbilder, Munich, 1985, p. 160ss. (fixing processes); fig.120-121.