C909: Statuette of Hercules
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© The Holburne Museum of Art, Bath
| Museum number | C909 |
| Title | Statuette of Hercules |
| Object type | In category: Sculpture » Statuettes |
| Date | Between 100 BC and 100 |
| People |
Unknown - Sculptor(s) |
| Place of origin | Europe » Southern Europe » Italy » Italy |
| Condition |
Good |
| Dimensions |
6.5 cm height statuette 3.1 cm width statuette 1.4 cm depth statuette 12.8 cm height statuette and plinth 6.4 cm width statuette and plinth 6.4 cm depth statuette and plinth |
| Materials & techniques |
In categories: Metal » Bronze Rock/ Mineral » Marble » Marble |
| Description | Small bronze statuette of Hercules. He is bearded and naked apart from a lionskin draped over his head and shoulders. He stands on a later square bronze base, with his left leg slightly bent and his right hand resting on his hip. With his left hand he holds his club, raised against his body. Mounted on a square, stepped marble plinth of dark green, red and light green Connemara marble. | ||||||
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Notes | This ancient Roman statuette is one of 33 antique bronze statuettes listed in the 1887 catalogue of the collection. The majority of these, however, have subsequently been identified as dating from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. Sir William Holburne kept these statuettes in his Study together with the rest of his collection of bronzes figures: 102 were listed there in 1874. Statues and statuettes, ranging from large representations of the emperors to small bronze images of gods, were made throughout the Roman Empire. They were more than simply decorative. Placed in public and private places these representations helped to spread Roman political and religious beliefs throughout the provinces of the Empire. The coloured marble base was added by Sir William Holburne. Most of his miniature bronzes were similarly displayed.
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| Muse theme | The Art of Collecting |
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| Muse chapter |
The History of the Holburne Collection » The Collection » Antiquities
The History of the Holburne Collection » The Collection » Sculpture |
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| Method of acquisition | Bequest | ||||||
| Provenance | Sir T. W. Holburne (1793-1874); by whom bequeathed to Mary Anne Barbara Holburne (1802-1882); by whom bequeathed to the Museum |
