Roman Bronze Statuette of Helios-Apollo

Object Description

A fine Roman statuette of Helios-Apollo cast from bronze. The deity is depicted heroically nude, apart from a mantle pinned at the right shoulder and wrapped around his bent left arm. He wears a diadem with radiating spikes to represent beams of light on top of his luxuriant curls. He is portrayed standing in a contrapposto pose, with his left knee bent and right arm raised, on top of an ivy-leaf base. The finger and toe detailing, musculature and the pleats of the fabric have been carefully rendered through linear incisions. His facial features are soft and rounded. To the back of the statuette, there is a mounting stud. The statuette has been mounted on to a custom-made stand.

Date: Circa 2nd-3rd Century AD

Object History

From a collection acquired on the UK art market before 2000s. From a Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

Object Condition

Very fine condition. A beautiful patina and some minor scratches to the surface. Some of the rays of the diadem have been chipped. The statuette without the stand is 13.8cm high.

Object Details