SculptureRoman1st-2nd century CE

Standing Harpocrates

1-200 CE

Description

First figure on left of image. Incomplete figurine; missing everything below the upper thigh, but otherwise in good condition. Standing male child, dressed, leaning on an altar to the left. He wears a high crown over a wreath and diadem. Wavy hair, parted at the middle, frames the round face and falls down to chubby cheeks. “Squinting” eyes with both lids rendered in relief; flattened, round nose; narrow, puckered mouth with plump lips. He wears a short-sleeved tunic with a plain, loose neck; vertical folds fall down the body in attempt at naturalism. The body is discernible underneath the tunic, especially the round abdomen, which sports a large, depressed navel. The right arm, bare, goes up across the chest, right hand resting at the neck and index finger on the mouth. The left arm embraces a long and narrow cornucopia (horn of plenty). The boy leans on an altar placed at his left. Atop the altar, a brawny animal stands on two legs and faces forward; likely a falcon. Hollow. Mold-made in a single-sided mold, likely plaster. Thick, plain back with partial circular venthole near mid body. Visible yet tidy join seams; carefully cleaned interior. Significant amount of surface detailing done through incision. Pinkish brown clay with some grog inclusions.

Classification

Sculpture

Technique

Mold-made

Medium

Terracotta, traces of paint

Culture

Roman

Period

Roman Imperial period, Middle

Century

1st-2nd century CE