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View of broken fingers. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College) -
Overview of fragment. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Fragment of Left Hand
- Date
- 2nd C. AD, Roman
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- S61.027.12
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Sculpture
- Sculpture Type
- Human Figure, Colossal Imperial Portrait, Portrait
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- AT
- Trench
- Church M
- Findspot
- Findspot unknown.
- Description
Fragments Cat. 103, Cat. 104 and Cat. 105 (Figs. 226-228) may belong with Cat. 102 (Figs. 223-225) statue of Zeus.
The bent, hollowed hand suggests that a vertical attribute (scepter?) was loosely held. The upper projection may be the tip of the little finger, the lower of the fourth finger; they would have curved around tip of attribute. Very fine file work in lower hollow of hand, rougher strokes where the attribute would have joined hand.
A comparison with Cat. 82 (Fig. 200) which is almost certainly the hand of Antoninus Pius, white, highly polished, and sophisticated, shows Cat. 104 as a massive, simpler work, consistent with attribution to Hellenistic Zeus.
- Condition
Yellowish weathered marble with large crystals.
Broken off at thumb and wrist. Parts of the little and the fourth fingers preserved only at base. Two circular projections broken off in center of hand.
- Dimensions
- H. 0.39; P.W. 0.32; W. little finger 0.09 by 0.07, fourth finger 0.08 by 0.06; puntelli 0.045 and 0.04.
- Comments
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Possibly mentioned in Sardis I, 66, “a hand of the same giant scale” was found near head of Zeus; the thumb referred to in the same passage as having been found with the Zeus head, may belong to this hand but has not been located.
- Author
- NHR