A ROMAN MARBLE GROUP OF EROS ON A DOLPHIN, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

A ROMAN MARBLE GROUP OF EROS ON A DOLPHIN, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

the winged god reclining merrily on the dolphin, hugging its dorsal fin, and grasping its tail, the dolphin resting on a base and baring its teeth; mouth and underside of dolphin drilled in antiquity for use as a waterspout.
Height 18.4 cm.

Condition Report:
[No restorations, as shown, with minor chips and abrasions overall.]

Catalogue Note:
In antiquity, Eros is often represented riding a dolphin, a reference to his mother Venus being born from the sea off the island of Paphos. The group was frequently used by Roman sculptors as a support for marble statues of Venus (e.g., a statue sold at Sotheby's, New York, June 6th, 2006, lot 23, now reunited with her head at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia: http://carlos.emory.edu/content/statue-venus).

Provenance:
estate of Count Henri d'Epinay (1940-2017), Longuenesse, France
acquired at auction at Saint-Omer in France in 2017