Ibis Eating a Lizard

100 BCE–100 CE

Italy, Rome, Roman Empire

Medium

bronze, hollow cast

Measurements

Overall: 37.5 cm (14 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1974.3

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Location

103 Roman

Did You Know?

This sculpture was possibly used as a support for furniture, a candelabrum, or an incense burner.

Description

The ibis is an Egyptian bird, shown here standing firmly on both legs with a lizard in its beak. The bird rests on a two-tiered circular base, and a vertical stem with incised decoration extends above the ibis’s head. While an Egyptian animal, the image of the ibis devouring a lizard became common only in the Roman world, depicted in wall paintings and seen on Barbotine ware, a type of pottery. This sculpture may be unique, however, in showing this motif in the round.