Erotic: Passion & Desire Online
Erotic: Passion & Desire Online
A ROMAN MARBLE GROUP OF EROS ON A DOLPHIN, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
Lot Closed
February 12, 03:13 PM GMT
Estimate
3,500 - 4,500 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A ROMAN MARBLE GROUP OF EROS ON A DOLPHIN, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
the winged god reclining merrily on the dolphin, hugging its dorsal fin, and grasping its tail, the dolphin resting on a base and baring its teeth; mouth and underside of dolphin drilled in antiquity for use as a waterspout.
Height 18.4 cm.
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In antiquity, Eros is often represented riding a dolphin, a reference to his mother Venus being born from the sea off the island of Paphos. The group was frequently used by Roman sculptors as a support for marble statues of Venus (e.g., a statue sold at Sotheby's, New York, June 6th, 2006, lot 23, now reunited with her head at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia: http://carlos.emory.edu/content/statue-venus).