Relief Fragment with Head of Bull (310253)

inv. no. 310253
max. h. 0.41 m; max. w. 0.15 m; max. d. 0.243 m
Pentelic marble
The fragment is broken on all sides. The greater part of the animal's face has been broken off.

The only extant part of the bull is the head with its join to the neck. The animal must have been depicted in an erect position, walking toward the left, with its head slightly inclined to the rear. The left part of the head is, in fact, carved with a greater degree of care. The infula, a typical ornament for a bull destined for sacrifice, is wound between the horns and then hangs down along the body. The victim is shown at a moment before the blood sacrifice.

This fragment must have been part of the same scene as the relief with the Temple of Quirinus (310251).

Bibliography

Hartwig 26, pl. III, 6; Koeppel (1984) 13-15; 55, cat. 24, fig. 35; ArchRoma 141, fig. 117e (R. Paris), with earlier bibliography.

Catalogue entry by Rita Paris

Copyright © 1997 Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali, Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan. All rights reserved.