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Sculpture

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Roman, A Roman marble lion trapezophoros, circa 2nd century AD
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Roman, A Roman marble lion trapezophoros, circa 2nd century AD
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Roman, A Roman marble lion trapezophoros, circa 2nd century AD
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Roman, A Roman marble lion trapezophoros, circa 2nd century AD

Roman

A Roman marble lion trapezophoros, circa 2nd century AD
Marble
Height: 59.3 cm
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The table or throne leg is carved in the form of a lion seated back on its haunches. The head is surrounded with a full mane of voluminous curls, falling...
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The table or throne leg is carved in the form of a lion seated back on its haunches. The head is surrounded with a full mane of voluminous curls, falling down to the shoulders. The face is naturalistic and expressively detailed with the mouth wide open; the now missing tongue probably originally fell in a sweeping, s-shaped curve almost to the chest. Part of the fangs are preserved. A double, vertical row of curls extend down the powerfully carved chest, from the neck to the stomach. The upper parts of the front and hind legs are preserved. There are the remains of a pillar on the back and a short rectangular plinth on which the lion sits.
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Provenance

With Wladimir Rosenbaum (1894 - 1984), Ascona, Switzerland
Private collection F.H., Ascona, Switzerland, acquired before 1984
Cahn, Basel, Switzerland, Auktion 5, 16 September 2010, lot 263
Private collection, Switzerland

Literature

The round hole in the pillar on the back of the lion would have served the function of anchoring the table or throne, which from the scale of this piece would have been extremely impressive. The use of the full statue of a lion as a table leg, instead of a monopodium form with just the bust on top of a single leg, is unusual and imposing. For further discussion see G.M.A Richter, Ancient Furniture: A History of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Furniture, Oxford, 1926, pp. 139-41.
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