Sicilian Terracotta Altar (“Arula”) with Lion Combat Relief

Culture: Greek/Sicily

Period: 5th century B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 12 cm x 19.3 cm x 11 cm

Price: Sold

Ref: 2679

Provenance: From the Israeli private collection of Jacob Marcus, Jaffa. Most recently on the Israeli art market.

Condition: Minor chips along the edges, which do not affect the relief surface. The rear right corner was invisibly restored.

Description: Rare rectangular terracotta altar (“arula”), decorated on one side with a finely executed relief depicting a combat scene between a lion and a horse. The predator stands on its hind legs, digging its front claws into the horse's hindquarters while biting its back. The prey animal has already collapsed and turns its head back desperately toward the attacker. This highly dynamic representation decorates the principal face of the altar, which belongs to a well-documented group of so-called “arulae” produced in Sicily, Southern Italy, and as far north as Rome. They were used in sanctuaries, tombs, but also in domestic settings for offering small gifts, which were placed in the recess on the upper surface. The underside has a rectangular opening through which hot air could escape during burning. The rectangular form and iconography of this arula suggest a Sicilian origin, a point further supported by the imagery's style. See for the type, a similar example without inventory number in the Museo G. Whitaker, Motya (Sicily), published in: J. I. S. Whitaker, “Motya. A Phoenician Colony in Sicily”, London 1921, p. 325-326, fig. 104/1; as well as E. Douglas Van Buren “Terracotta Arulae” in: Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Rome 1918, Vol. 2, p. 20, plate 17.