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SUPERB RARE BRONZE ROMAN SACRIFICIAL COW STATUE FOR PRAYERS TO JUPITER West Europe (Ex-German Private Collection) CLASSIC LATE ROMAN PERIOD: 1st - 3rd CENTURY AD With most Roman bronze votive statues measuring a THIRD the size of this substantial and RARE MASTERPIECE, we are pleased to present such a magnificent work of Ancient Roman art. The entire piece is PERFECT AND COMPLETE which is also a rarity with Roman bronze votive statuary from this period. This is a SOLID bronze votive statue meant to serve as sacrifice for prayers to the Roman god Jupiter. Jupiter was the supreme god of the Roman pantheon, called DIES PATER or "shining father". He was the god of light and sky, as well as protector of the state and its laws. Prayers made to Jupiter required a sacrifice of a young cow which this statue represents. Wonderful rich heavy patina covers but does not conceal exceptional artistry in the lifelike rendering of the animal. Nice musculature with superb sculptural detail in the neck, ribs and head. This is truly a splendid artifact that must be handled and seen to appreciate. Statue stands on its own and comes with a frosted acrylic base for display. No defects and in perfect complete preservation! NO RESTORATION OR REPAIR. Likely, this piece was meant to be taken by the deceased into the afterlife so that a sacrifice to the supreme god, Jupiter, was available. From an old German private collection, fine antiquities like these are surely to appreciate in the years to come as all countries that such treasures could once be found have now instituted strict laws prohibiting their prospecting and removal. Ancient Roman beliefs and ritual required requests from the gods to be followed by sacrifice. A prayer would have been made and then followed with a small offering to the deity. These offerings did not always require the sacrifice of a live animal. A symbol of life, in some way or form, was the requirement of the sacrifice. Offerings such as milk, fruit, cheese, and wine were used as less gory gifts to the gods. For official rituals of the state gods, animals were sacrificed with each god requiring a different animal, A prayer to Janus required a ram. For Jupiter, a heifer (a young cow which has not yet had more than one calf) is needed. Mars required an ox, a pig and a sheep, except for the 15th of October when it had to be the winning race horse of the day of a chariot team. Such animal sacrifices were, by their mere nature, very elaborate and bloody affairs. The animal's head had wine and sacred bread (baked by the vestal virgins) sprinkled over it. The animal was then killed by having its throat cut but before it was sacrificed, it was disemboweled for inspection of its innards to ensure that the god was not offered an animal bearing a bad omen. Should something be found in the animal's entrails then it was a bad sign and a new animal would have to be sacrificed in its place. The most important organs of the dead beast would then be burnt on the altar. The rest of the animal was then either moved away, or later eaten as part of a feast. A priest would then say prayers wearing some form of mask or blindfold to protect his eyes from seeing any evil, and a flute would be played to drown out any evil sounds. Should anything go wrong, then the entire process had to be repeated but only after an additional sacrifice had been made to allay any anger of the god about the failure of the first one. For this purpose one would usually sacrifice a pig and thereafter, the original sacrifice would then be repeated. The Roman Empire was a unique association of peoples and places such as the Mediterranean World had never seen before. What had been a patchwork of Hellenistic monarchies, independent city-states, and Celtic tribes was miraculously united into one great political entity. At its peak rule, the Roman Empire stretched from Spain to Syria and England to Egypt. The Roman Republic was founded in 509 B.C. and in its earliest times, was ruled by kings and chieftains. In 27 B.C., the Empire was formally established with the title of "Augustus" given to its then ruler Octavian. From that point on, the emperor was referred to as "Augustus", his immediate heir "Caesar" and imperial wives were titled "Augusta". Our
modern world today benefits much from a host of technological
innovations first given to us by the ancient Romans. From simple
inventions such as blown glass and underground sewer systems to major
concepts in engineering and the Roman calendar. RARE AND LARGER THAN USUAL FINEST CONDITION WITH ZERO DAMAGE - SOLID BRONZE WITH BEAUTIFUL PATINA! 2.85" in length $4995 R040 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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