Imperial Romain Bronze Statuette of a Dwarf Silene from the 1st-2nd century A.D. In very good condition with superb patina even if the right hand is lost.
This bronze cast Applique in the shape of the Bust of Herakles is slightly hollow in the lower part. Given its semicircular outline, it is thought to have been part of a bed decoration (fulcrum).
Carved from a small limestone monolith, this statuette is certainly one of the first three-dimensional images of elephant in Near Eastern art; moreover, these large mammals were rarely represented in the rich animal iconography of this prominent culture.