Grand Tour Bronze Statuette: Pompeian Ephebe (C. 1880-1910)

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Traveling Man Treasures is selling this antique "Grand Tour Era" bronze statuette modeled after a famous 1st-century AD Roman sculpture … Read more Traveling Man Treasures is selling this antique "Grand Tour Era" bronze statuette modeled after a famous 1st-century AD Roman sculpture known as "The Ephebe from Pompeii". This statuette features a natural dark green verdigris patina, a common finish for 19th-century "Grand Tour" souvenirs. The piece is in good condition as shown, and mounted on a clear acrylic base, making for a sunning display.

DIMENSIONS:
Statue & Base: 8.75" H x 3" D
Statue: 5.75" H x 3" D

While this statuettes like this were made during the late 19th century and intended to mimic the appearance of ancient bronzes recovered from archaeological sites, the original life-sized statue was discovered in 1925 in the "House of the Ephebe" in Pompeii and is currently housed at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

The original is a Roman work executed in a Greek style, likely modeled after 5th-century BC Greek athletes. In antiquity, the figure was used as a lamp bearer (Efebo Lampadoforo). It originally held bronze tendrils that functioned as candelabrum branches to light dining rooms or gardens. See less