ROMAN STATUE

Unknown artist

Fragment of a white marble statue of a bull, missing its head, front legs and the lower part of its back legs. the statue is realistically carved with areas of skeleton and musculature depicted. A circular scar under the belly indicates where a supportive column was attached. The bull's head was lowered and a large dewlap still survives.The statue has been studied by Professor Martin Henig, who believes that the statue is 1st or 2nd Century AD Roman and belongs to a group of domestic sculpture, perhaps originally created as part of a garden feature or fountain. He highlights stylistic parallels with bull imagery from the Augustan period, as seen on other items of statuary and ring intaglios.