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Description: | A cast copper alloy figurine; a bust probably of Minerva dating from the Roman period. Only the head, helmet and neck are modelled. The base is flat (the object can stand upright) and has a circular hole in the centre. There is no trace of iron or paste. The hole may have allowed the head to fit onto another element. A similar attachment mechanism can be seen on ESS-960CE5, a slightly larger figurine.The head depicts a helmeted person with hair parted in the centre visible round the edge of the helmet. The helmet has a large crest. This has a V shaped groove on the top and back of the crest, and incised lines on the side possibly depict feathers. The helmet is divided into four panels with deep grooves. Each panel is further decorated with a border of incised lines and recessed dots in the centre. The hair is visible all along the edge of the helmet. It is moulded to make it appear thick and also incised to show the direction of the strands. The face has lentoid eyes with the pupils indicated by recessed circles. The nose is broad and the mouth is corroded, obscuring detail. The neck is a pointed oval in section. The bust has a dark green patina with traces of silvering or a white metal coating surviving. It appears to be unbroken.Minerva busts are often found on spatula handles such as NARC-1B5986 and ESS-6718E0, but they normally depict the shoulders and upper body too, and they have a slot for the spatula blade to fit into. Minerva busts also also found on vessel mounts such as LVPL-3C7162 and HESH-9283B6, which are normally hollow or have a flat back. Minerva mounts or studs are also known, such as BERK-711A53 which has a mounting rivet. This object is classified as a figurine because of the circular hole in the base and the lack of features identifying other objects. It could however, have been attached to a wide range of object types.
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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