On the size of a dwarf: On the meaning of an ‘Alexandrian’ bronze head in Clermont-Ferrand
Type de matériel :
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This bronze head (h. 11.2 cm) was discovered by chance near Bas-et-Lezat (Dép. Puy-de-Dôme/F) in the summer of 1970, and has long been in the musée Bargoin, Clermont-Ferrand. Since its discovery, it has been considered a product of ‘Alexandrian’ art. However, only the original model came from Hellenized Egypt, while the head itself was most likely made in Italy or Gaul. By comparison with the bronze statuette of a dancing phallic dwarf preserved in Boston and a somewhat smaller comparative piece from the Italian excavations at Bakchias (Fayum), the a. shows that musée Bargoin’s negroid head belonged to the almost life-size statue of a dwarf. This result is of importance as the figure, reconstructed to an original height of approx. 50 cm, thus represents by far the largest known depiction of a dwarf in ancient art. Judging from the style, it is datable to the late 1st century BC or the early 1st century AD.
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