|
HOME :
Classical Antiquities :
Classical Bronzes : Roman Bronze Dog
|
 |
|
|
|
Roman Bronze Dog - SF.015
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 100
AD
to 300
AD
Dimensions:
2.75" (7.0cm) high
x 4" (10.2cm) wide
Collection: Classical
Style: Roman
Medium: Bronze
Condition: Very Fine
£5,000.00
Location: Great Britain
|
|
|
| Photo Gallery |
|
|
| Description |
A charming representation of a household
animal, this small bronze statuette of a dog
may be a representation of someone’s pet, for
a collar has been added to the animal
showing its domestication, so too suggested
by the lines on his nose representing a
muzzle. He may once have had a long tail
(now unfortunately lost) but the dog is full of
character, for his tongue is shown hanging
out, possibly suggesting that he was meant
to be depicted as panting. Such a statuette
may have been a simple ornament, furniture
applique, or it could have been an image of a
loved, deceased pet, and placed among
similar statuettes of family members in the
household shrine to pray for their protection
and honour their memory.
In ancient Rome the dog was seen as the
loyal, devoted figure to his master, whether
that master returns the devotion or not.
The well-known mosaic, Cave Canem
(Beware of Dog) shows how dogs were
appreciated in Rome as guardians of homes
just as they had been in earlier cultures and
are still today. The great Latin poet Virgil,
wrote, “Never, with dogs on guard, need you
fear for your stalls a midnight thief”(Georgics
III, 404ff) and the writer Varro, in his work on
how to live in the countryside, writes that
every family should have two types of dog, a
hunting dog and a watchdog (De Re Rustica
I.21). The Romans had many pets, from cats
to apes, but favored the dog above all others.
Dogs feature in many mosaics, wall frescoes,
in poetry and prose.
There is a large series of Roman reliefs
showing men and women with their canine
companions.
Dogs are mentioned in the Roman law code
as guardians of the home and flocks. In one
case which was recorded, a farmer brings a
suit against his favored because the
neighbour dogs rescued the farmer's hogs
from wolves and the neighbor's then claimed
ownership of the hogs. Varro claimed that no
farm should be without two dogs and they
should be kept indoors during the day and let
free to roam at night in order to prevent just
such a possibility as the one discussed
above. He also suggested that a white dog
should be chosen over a black one so that
one could distinguish between one's dog and
a wolf in the darkness or the twilight of early
morning.
- (SF.015)
|
| |
|
