Bronze ornament in the form of a seated male sphinx

Unknown

ca. 27 BCE–14 CE · bronze · Greek and Roman Art

The ornament, originally clad in silver, served as a furniture attachment or, more likely, as part of a candelabrum or a stand for a censer or bowl. Egyptianizing decorative arts were especially popular in Rome in the years after the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 31 B.C. Other examples can be seen on the wall paintings from the villa at Boscotrecase, also displayed in this gallery.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 27 BCE–14 CE

Medium

bronze

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of Malcolm Wiener, on the occasion of the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman galleries, 2006