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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1992.256.81
Title
Flying Eros
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
1st-3rd century CE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/310299

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
3.9 x 2 x 1 cm (1 9/16 x 13/16 x 3/8 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Bronze:

Cu, 77.06; Sn, 7.74; Pb, 14.54; Zn, 0.002; Fe, 0.31; Ni, 0.02; Ag, 0.04; Sb, 0.03; As, 0.26; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.005; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001

J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The patina is worn black with areas of red and green. The figure is missing the proper right arm and foot, while the edges around the back of the figure are broken. The figurine was solid cast, probably by lost-wax casting. There is loss of surface detail due to the poor condition.


Carol Snow (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Louise M. and George E. Bates, Camden, ME (by 1971-1992), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 1992.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Louise M. and George E. Bates
Accession Year
1992
Object Number
1992.256.81
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
Although the wings are now missing, this figure of Eros flies to the right almost with a graceful dance step. He looks downward and to his left with his left arm and leg extended, while what remains of his right leg is drawn back. His right arm, now mostly missing, would have been raised. The twisted pose adds a rhythm and liveliness to the bronze statuette (1).

As a god of love, Eros had his own ancient cult as well as individual worshipers. He was also celebrated in older Greek fertility cults and jointly with Aphrodite at her sanctuary on the north slope of the Athenian Acropolis. Eros directed his attentions to male as well as female beauty, and his images were also placed in gymnasia. During the Classical period, Eros is increasingly associated with the world of women in domestic scenes or at weddings. By Roman times, he is ubiquitous in the decorative arts, often in the form of an endearing and playful child, like this small figure, who likely adorned a bronze vessel as an appliqué or handle attachment (2).

NOTES:

1. For a similarly posed flying Eros, see M. Comstock and C. C. Vermeule, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Bronzes in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Greenwich, CT, 1971) 96, no. 102.

2. For other comparanda, see Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae Eros no. 50-53.


Aaron J. Paul

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu