Roman Bronze Mouse Figure Nibbling Food
Roman, Imperial period, ca. 100–300 CE. A leaded bronze mouse, no bigger than a thumb joint, sits back on its haunches and lifts a rounded morsel of food to its mouth with both forepaws. The modeler caught the creature's essential attitude in a handful of cubic centimeters: the long tapering snout of a shrew-mouse, the outsized cupped ears, the compact hunched body and the tail curled tight along the flank. Surfaces carry a green cuprous patina broken by darker earthen deposits. Small bronzes of this kind are routinely called votives, yet remarkably little is known about Roman bronze mice specifically; this one may equally have served as freestanding household ornament or as a finial figure attached atop a larger object such as a lamp, casket, or vessel handle. Mounted on a custom museum-quality display stand. Size of stand: 0.66" H x 1.26" W x 1.63" D (1.7 cm H x 3.2 cm W x 4.1 cm D); 0.8" H x 0.6" W x 1.7" D (2.0 cm H x 1.5 cm W x 4.3 cm D); on included custom stand: 1.6" H (4.1 cm H).
Mice and shrews carried an ambivalent charge in the Roman world. Pliny the Elder records the shrew as a creature of ill omen whose bite was thought venomous, while Apollo himself was worshipped in Asia Minor as Smintheus, "Lord of Mice," a god who both sent and stayed plagues of rodents in the grain. Mice appear across Roman minor arts, on gems, in mosaic emblemata gathering crumbs from the unswept floor, and as small cast bronzes, almost always shown feeding: the attribute that made them both a nuisance in the granary and a witty subject for a table ornament.
Leaded bronze, a copper alloy with lead added to improve flow into fine molds, was the standard choice for small cast figures of this scale. The lead lowers the melting point and lets molten metal fill the delicate extremities, the ears and the curling tail, in a single pour.
A similar example sold at Christie's, London for $4,606 (Sale 7521 - Lot 220 - Antiquities - 25 October 2007).
Please note that this figure contains up to 28% lead.
Provenance: private Dayton, Maryland, USA collection; ex-private F. B. collection, Maryland, USA, acquired via Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, USA in March 2016; ex-private New Jersey USA collection, acquired over twenty years ago
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #204751
Condition
Old, tiny break to tail. Otherwise intact and excellent with stunning patina.
Roman, Imperial period, ca. 100–300 CE. A leaded bronze mouse, no bigger than a thumb joint, sits back on its haunches and lifts a rounded morsel of food to its mouth with both forepaws. The modeler caught the creature's essential attitude in a handful of cubic centimeters: the long tapering snout of a shrew-mouse, the outsized cupped ears, the compact hunched body and the tail curled tight along the flank. Surfaces carry a green cuprous patina broken by darker earthen deposits. Small bronzes of this kind are routinely called votives, yet remarkably little is known about Roman bronze mice specifically; this one may equally have served as freestanding household ornament or as a finial figure attached atop a larger object such as a lamp, casket, or vessel handle. Mounted on a custom museum-quality display stand. Size of stand: 0.66" H x 1.26" W x 1.63" D (1.7 cm H x 3.2 cm W x 4.1 cm D); 0.8" H x 0.6" W x 1.7" D (2.0 cm H x 1.5 cm W x 4.3 cm D); on included custom stand: 1.6" H (4.1 cm H).
Mice and shrews carried an ambivalent charge in the Roman world. Pliny the Elder records the shrew as a creature of ill omen whose bite was thought venomous, while Apollo himself was worshipped in Asia Minor as Smintheus, "Lord of Mice," a god who both sent and stayed plagues of rodents in the grain. Mice appear across Roman minor arts, on gems, in mosaic emblemata gathering crumbs from the unswept floor, and as small cast bronzes, almost always shown feeding: the attribute that made them both a nuisance in the granary and a witty subject for a table ornament.
Leaded bronze, a copper alloy with lead added to improve flow into fine molds, was the standard choice for small cast figures of this scale. The lead lowers the melting point and lets molten metal fill the delicate extremities, the ears and the curling tail, in a single pour.
A similar example sold at Christie's, London for $4,606 (Sale 7521 - Lot 220 - Antiquities - 25 October 2007).
Please note that this figure contains up to 28% lead.
Provenance: private Dayton, Maryland, USA collection; ex-private F. B. collection, Maryland, USA, acquired via Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, USA in March 2016; ex-private New Jersey USA collection, acquired over twenty years ago
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #204751
Condition
Old, tiny break to tail. Otherwise intact and excellent with stunning patina.
