Bidspirit auction | Caesar in lorica. Venetian art?


Caesar in lorica. Venetian art? 16th-17th century. Patinated bronze. Non-contemporary wooden base. - Measurements with base 36 x 14 x 8 cm. Bronze measurements 30 x 15 x 8 cm. This beautiful statuette depicts a Roman emperor in lorica with a laurel wreath surrounding his head. The armour is decorated with symmetrical leafy scrolls and two lion heads on the shoulders. This bronze can be linked to a statuette preserved in the Hermitage Museum, depicting a Roman emperor in lorica and wearing a laurel wreath. Its measurements are nearly identical and it is part of a series of emperors considered Renaissance. Note the similarities between the two men-at-arms in their armour, posture and the materiality of the casting. An object of particular interest due to the splendid natural translucent patina that emerges from the original artificial one, which is darker and bituminous. The strong-willed and realistic expression on the face is beautiful. Bibliography: Sergei Androsov, State Hermitage Museum, Italian Sculpture from the 14th to the 16th Century, Skira, Milan 2008, p.98. A comparison with the bronze mentioned follows.