Two joining sculpture fragments Images of Empire: Flavian Fragments in Rome and Ann Arbor Rejoined

6. Relief Fragment with Head of Bull (MNR 310253)

Head of bullinv. 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 (MNR 310251).

Bibliography

Hartwig 26, pl. III, 6; Koeppel (1984) 13-15; 55, cat. 24, fig. 35; Di Mino and Bertinetti (1990) 141, fig. 117e (R. Paris), with earlier bibliography.

Catalogue entry by Rita Paris

 

Copyright ©1997, 2002 Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali, Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan. All rights reserved.

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