Artwork Page for Tripod Base

Details / Information for Tripod Base

Tripod Base

100–1 BCE
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Italy, Roman

Medium
bronze
Measurements
Overall: 77 x 32.3 x 28 cm (30 5/16 x 12 11/16 x 11 in.)
Credit Line
Given in honor of Arthur Fleischman by his parents, Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman 1995.10
Public Domain
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Location
103 Roman
Print
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Did You Know?

This elaborate base may have originally supported an ornate lamp (not the statuette now displayed atop it).

Description

This unusual tripod base features three clawed feet, an abundance of vegetal ornament, and three different figural scenes in low relief. Two seem to show sanctuary settings: first, a small Archaistic statue of Athena flanked by a woman with small offerings and a man holding a kid and leading two goats; and second, a small youthful male statue behind two beardless figures—perhaps Apollo, with a stag, and Dionysos, holding a thyrsos. The third scene shows Herakles, holding a club while leading a woman, maybe Auge or Alcestis. Although perhaps similarly eclectic in style, the base and the sculpture it now supports differ in their alloys and patinas.
A bronze stand with a mottled green and brown patina features three concave sides flaring from a square top. On its front, three figures are depicted in low relief around a central table. Beneath, ornate leaf-like forms fill the space between three outward-curving legs that terminate in animal paws. The weathered surface is textured with green oxidation, highlighting the detailed carvings against the dark, aged metal.

Tripod Base

100–1 BCE

Italy, Roman

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