Description

Bronze statue of Venus with folding mirror with silver inlay. The naked Goddess looks at herself in the mirror. With her right hand she grasps her wavy hair which is tied in a knot. Her head is tilted towards her left hand, in which she holds an open folding mirror with silver plating on the upper part of the mirror. The upper legs are pressed together, with the bent left leg pushing slightly in front of the right leg and touching it just above the ankles. The left hip swinging slightly, leads over the only slightly tucked in waist to the upper body. The breasts are small with the nipples indicated by small punch marks. The head completes the S-shaped body. This S-shaped form of the body is also clearly visible on the back or side of the statue.  

The small oval downward-sloping face shows large almond-shaped eyes with upper and lower eyelids. The face is framed by a center-parted hairstyle that covers both ears. The slightly waving hair is tied in a thick loop held in place by a ribbon. The same or separate ribbon is wrapped twice around the hair and head. 

This statue was formed as a wax model and cast in bronze. It is a high-quality work with strong expressions, whose style and depiction stand out pleasantly.

Culture

Roman 

Dating

C. 100 - 200 AD

Size

10,1 cm without stand, with stand 16,2 cm.

Provenance

Dutch collection, bought at auction Hermann Historica, Germany.  

Private collection of J. K., Cologne, Germany, through inheritance and bought in 2006 at BAAF Basel from below. 

Jean-David Cahn AG, Basel, Switzerland. Documentation available from Cahn such as invoice, expertise about the statue and communication from 2006. 

Exhibited

Brussels Ancient Art Fair (BAAF), Brussels, Belgium, 2006, Jean-David Cahn AG. 

Condition

Excellent condition, beautiful detail.