statuette
- Museum number
- 1811,0309.2
- Description
-
Cast bronze figure of the Roman deity Mars with a crested helmet, holding a ram-headed snake in each hand. The wears a kilt and a short pleated tunic and stands with his arms out to the sides and front. The snakes curl around each forearm then down across the front of the leges and around the calves and ankles. The body of the right-hand snake is broken between the forearm and leg. The snake heads extend below the hands and have raised eyes on top. Mars' head has a straight nose, almond-shaped eyes and a slightly slit mouth. His beard consists of a raised moulding decorated with notches, and his hair is coarsely incised with a moulded fringe around his face. The crest of the helmet comprises a bird (?raven) on a pedestal; the bird's head is missing.
- Production date
- 3rdC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 107 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- Group of bronze statuettes of gods and goddess
Roman Britain, 3rd century AD
Found in Southbroom, Devizes, Wiltshire
These eight statuettes formed part of a remarkable hoard said to have been found in a pot in the early years of the eighteenth century.
Though the figures depict Roman gods and goddesses, they are markedly native in style. The warrior god Mars is identifiable by his crested helmet, but instead of his usual spear and shield he holds two ram-headed snakes, creatures which feature in Celtic myth. The other figures show the same combination of Roman and native British qualities, and express the complex interaction of cultures in Roman Britain.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2016 11 Mar- 25 Sep, Edinburgh, National Museum of Scotland, Celts.
2015-2016 24 Sep-31 Jan, London, BM, G30, 'Celts: Art and Identity'
2004 1 Apr-30 Oct, Woodbridge, Suffolk, Sutton Hoo Visitor Centre, 'Between Myth and Reality'
1998 9 Feb-3 May, India, Mumbai, Sir Caswasjee Jahangir Hall, The Enduring Image
1997 13 Oct-1998 5 Jan, India, New Delhi, National Museum, The Enduring Image
1993 18 Jun-26 Sep, France, Quimper, Abbaye de Daoloas, Rome face aux Barbes
- Acquisition date
- 1811
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1811,0309.2
