Bronze ornament in the form of a seated male sphinx

ca. 27 BCE–14 CE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 166

The ornament, originally clad in silver, served as a furniture attachment or, more likely, as part of a candelabrum or a stand for a censer or bowl. Egyptianizing decorative arts were especially popular in Rome in the years after the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 31 B.C. Other examples can be seen on the wall paintings from the villa at Boscotrecase, also displayed in this gallery.

Artwork Details

Overview

References

Title: Bronze ornament in the form of a seated male sphinx
Period: Augustan
Date: ca. 27 BCE–14 CE
Culture: Roman
Medium: bronze
Dimensions: Height 5 11/16 in. (14.5 cm)
Classification: Bronzes
Credit Line: Gift of Malcolm Wiener, on the occasion of the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman galleries, 2006
Object Number: 2006.514.2
Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

More Artwork

In the same gallery

In the same medium

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Bronze torso from an equestrian statue wearing a cuirass, bronze, Greek or Roman — Bronze torso from an equestrian statue wearing a cuirass
Greek or Roman
2nd century BCE–2nd century CE

Bronze plaque of Mithras slaying the bull, Bronze, Roman — Bronze plaque of Mithras slaying the bull
Roman
mid-2nd–early 3rd century CE

Bronze statue of the emperor Trebonianus Gallus, Bronze, Roman — Bronze statue of the emperor Trebonianus Gallus
Roman
251–253 CE

Gilded bronze mirror with the Three Graces, Bronze, silver, gold, speculum, Roman — Gilded bronze mirror with the Three Graces
Roman
mid-2nd century CE

Bronze statue of an aristocratic boy, Bronze, Roman — Bronze statue of an aristocratic boy
Roman
27 BCE–14 CE

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.