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HOME :
Classical Antiquities :
Classical Bronzes : Roman Bronze Sculpture of Cupid
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Roman Bronze Sculpture of Cupid - CK.0163
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 1
st
Century AD
to 3
rd
Century AD
Dimensions:
2.75" (7.0cm) high
x 2" (5.1cm) wide
Collection: Classical
Medium: Bronze and Glass
$3,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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In the vast Hellenic pantheon few gods have enjoyed
such an indelible status as Cupid, the Roman god of love
and eroticism. With his mythic bow and quiver, the nude
youth has assumed an iconic personage in popular
culture; seldom with such pertinence have pagan
religious icons transcended the lacunae between
antiquity and the contemporary. Borrowing on Greek
religious traditions, the Romans worshiped Cupid as an
important deity alongside the cult of Venus—that
venerated goddess of love and beauty. Like many deities,
Cupid’s lineage is disputed and pluralistic, owing to the
diverse and often contradictory mythology that evolved
from the Mediterranean’s rich oral traditions.
Nonetheless, Cupid endures in Western civilization as the
very avatar of romance, elucidating the mystery of sex
that was for the Romans as perplexing and mystical as it
is today. With his mischievous bow and puckish guise,
Cupid illuminates the ethereal joys and harrowing
depressions of love—that universal and eternal condition
that both liberates and enslaves the human race.
This small bronze sculpture depicts Cupid, wings spread,
mid-flight. Over the ages, the bronze has acquired a
lovely green patina.
- (CK.0163)
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