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Poseidon
Greek or Roman
Late Hellenistic or Imperial Period
about 100 B.C.–A.D. 180
Medium/Technique
Bronze
Dimensions
Height: 17.8 cm (7 in.)
Mount: 3.3 x 7.1 cm (1 5/16 x 2 13/16 in)
Mount: 3.3 x 7.1 cm (1 5/16 x 2 13/16 in)
Credit Line
Partial gift of Lizbeth and George Krupp and Museum purchase with the Benjamin and Lucy Rowland Fund
Accession Number2003.311
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionThe bearded god with long hair flowing back alongside his face has his right leg raised and bends forward to rest on it with his left forearm. His left arm is raised high in the air. His right arm and right lower leg are missing, and his left hand is corroded. The figure is the well-known Lateran Poseidon type. Our statuette would originally have placed his right foot on some elevation, probably an outcropping of rock.
The Lateran Poseidon himself places his foot on a ship's prow, and many other Roman Neptunes have a dolphin, which they hold in their right hand or step on with their right foot. The general character of our bronze is so Hellenic that it is very unlikely that it had any of these characteristicallyl Roman touches.
The proportions and degree of detail in the anatomy of our piece, however, is so similar to those of the Lateran Poseidon that a second century date also seems possible for our piece.
The Lateran Poseidon himself places his foot on a ship's prow, and many other Roman Neptunes have a dolphin, which they hold in their right hand or step on with their right foot. The general character of our bronze is so Hellenic that it is very unlikely that it had any of these characteristicallyl Roman touches.
The proportions and degree of detail in the anatomy of our piece, however, is so similar to those of the Lateran Poseidon that a second century date also seems possible for our piece.
ProvenanceJanuary 1972, sold by Mathias Komor (dealer; b. 1909 - d. 1984), New York (stock no. D823), to Edgar Preston Richardson (b. 1902 - d. 1985) and Constance Coleman Richardson (b. 1905 - d. 2002), Philadelphia; December 11, 2002, consigned from the collection of Dr. and Mrs. Richardson, Sotheby's, New York, lot 53, sold to Brian Aitken (dealer; b. 1952 - d. 2009), Acanthus Ancient Art, New York; 2003, sold by Brian Aitken to Lizbeth and George Krupp, Boston (partial interest) and the MFA (partial interest); 2024, gift of Lizbeth and George Krupp (remaining interest) to the MFA. (Accession Dates: June 25, 2003 and February 14, 2024)