Bronze “Dolphin” Sculpture - Ancient Rome, Circa 1st - 3rd Century AD
A heavy Roman bronze mount in the form of a dolphin “kissing” a scallop shell. A second dolphin (now missing) would have completed the ornament.
Fine, deep green patina with some spots of granular corrosion.
The dolphin appears many times in Roman art and mythology art. It was the messenger of Poseidon, and carried souls to the “Islands of the Blessed.” By extension, in early Christian beliefs, the dolphin represented resurrection and salvation (Ref: Catton, “Dolphins in Mythology” and Ferguson “Signs and Symbols in Christian Art”).
Length: 113 mm (5 7/16 inches)
