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Description: | A cast copper-alloy Roman figurine of a leopard or possibly a panther, emerging from a flower, probably a calyx. This object is Roman in date and likely to have had an ornamental function. The object is solid and measures 41.5mm in total height, the flower has a flat circular base, c39mm in diameter. This has V-shaped notches around its edges, presumably representing petals of the flower. There is a projecting part emerging from the front face with a curvilinear groove delimiting its back edge, it is U-shaped in cross-section with a curvilinear shaped edge with three tapering triangular shaped petals represented. It is from within this projecting part that the body of the leopard/panther emerges from just below its shoulders. The body measures c31mm in height and 13.5mm in width across the shoulders. It is leaning forwards out of the open face of the flower with the three petals behind and to the side of it. Its head is twisted to one side and both forelimbs are stretched upwards and outwards, one is missing due to an old break and the other is complete. The body is slender and has small lines following the contours of the body which represent hair or fur. The surviving forelimb has a large paw with four toes shown. The neck is slender and the head squareish in shape, the ears are oval in shape and eyes represented by circular indentations, the snout is short and the mouth open.The original patina survives and is dark brown in colour, there are however small areas of a dark green corrosion.Both leopards and panthers are connected to the cult of Bacchus so this could have been a religious ornament perhaps used in a shrine. A very similar leopard emerging from a calyx has been found in Layham, Suffolk it was in the same pose but its forelimbs were more incomplete than this example (Archaeology in Suffolk 1990, 150-154, fig 24, no A).
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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