Bronze Statuette of Eros-Harpocrates

Culture: Roman/Alexandria

Period: 1st century A.D.

Material: Bronze

Dimensions: 4.8 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 3783

Provenance: Swiss private collection K. Meyer (died in 1976). Subsequently inherited by his son Marc Meyer, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. Gifted in 2021 to Elfriede Blume, Vienna.

Condition: The legs have been missing since antiquity, an abrasion on the left cheek.

Description: A solid bronze statuette of the Graeco-Egyptian child god Harpocrates, who in the Roman period also adopted attributes of Eros. The boy is unclothed and stands in contrapposto. His head slightly tilted to the right, and in his characteristic gesture, he raised the index finger of his right hand to his mouth. His hair is tied in a knot above the forehead, as is typical for Eros. In his left arm, he holds a horn of plenty (cornucopia), which rests on his shoulder. This is an interesting representation illustrating the fusion of the Egyptian son of the god Horus, and the Graeco-Roman Eros/Amor. Since the Ptolemaic period, such syncretic deities were promoted to serve an integrative role within the Graeco-Roman-Egyptian population. See for the type, a bronze statuette of Eros-Harpocrates at Sotheby’s London on 3 July 2024, lot 5. Mounted.