Roman
A Gallo-Roman bronze figure of Taranis-Jupiter, circa 2nd - 3rd century AD
Bronze
Height: 12.7 cm
The deity is depicted seated wearing a cloak around his lower body with the ends drawn over his left arm, his right arm raised with a thunderbolt in his hand,...
The deity is depicted seated wearing a cloak around his lower body with the ends drawn over his left arm, his right arm raised with a thunderbolt in his hand, his left hand with an opening, presumable to hold a staff. The stylised facial features include large eyes, a beard, and moustache. His torso and back are muscled; the nipples and the navel are indicated. A circular hole is pierced vertically through the statuette from top to bottom.
Provenance
Said to have been found in FranceSir Sidney Nolan (1917 - 1992) Collection, Australia and UK
Christie's, London, 8 December 1993, lot 77
With Phoenix Ancient Art, acquired from the above
Christie's, London, 26 April 2012, lot 324
Sir Sidney Nolan was one of Australia’s most significant modernist artists. He spent time in Greece, on Hydra, in the 1950s where he became fascinated by Greek art, history, and literature.
Literature
The posture and thunderbolt attribute allow this bronze to be identified as Jupiter, but his physiognomy encourages a specific identification of the god in his Gallo-Roman form as Jupiter-Taranis, the god of thunder, lightning, and cosmic forces. Taranis was worshipped in Gaul and his attributes were the thunderbolt (taran in Celtic) and a solar/cosmic wheel (or a wheel of the chariot of thunder). Following the Romanisation of Gaul, Taranis became syncretised with Jupiter. Given the hole pierced in the left hand of the figure, the attribute he held is likely to have been a sceptre, a distinctive attribute of Jupiter.The vertical piercing throughout indicates that the figure was intended as a fitting or finial, perhaps as a decorative element to a tripod base, possibly a candelabrum or a thymiaterion (incense burner). The flat top of the head would then act as a support for the lamp or cup.
For related examples of candelabra and thymiateria with figural decorations, see: D.M. Bailey, A Catalogue of the Lamps in the British Museum: IV, Lamps of Metal and Stone and Lampstands, London, 1996, nos. Q 3862 (pl. 98-99), Q 3866 (pl. 101), Q 3905 (pl. 122-123); A. Testa, Candelabri e thymiateria, Rome, 1989, nos. 55-56, 58-59.