Bronze handle with a lion and figurehead of gorgon, Ancient Roman, 1st-2nd Century AD

Large container handle, probably a monumental oinochoe, made of cast bronze that represents a lion in full attack pouncing on its prey. The lion is realistically depicted, with a wild mane and an open, roaring jaw showing its large fangs.

The beautiful details, such as the curls of the mane, marked ribs and the defined muscles of the legs; They show an imposing view of the lion and at the same time a great elegance reflected in the jump and the shape of the tail. The handle is topped by a large anthropomorphic figurehead with the representation of a gorgon face.

In the Roman world, lions maintained a strong association with Hercules, as he encountered the Nemean Lion as one of his Twelve Labors. However, the lion was far from a mythological beast and would have been a familiar sight throughout the Roman Empire. The venationes (“hunts”) and other spectacles of ancient Rome saw exotic species (including panthers, elephants, and bears) obtained from all corners of the Roman Empire, a self-conscious demonstration in itself of the nation’s extensive reach and reach. authority – and placed in the amphitheater for bloody entertainment. Notoriously, lions were an integral part of the form of capital punishment known as ‘damnatio ad bestias’, whereby condemned criminals were confronted with the beasts. Roman army units also hunted lions as a hobby when not at war; The process of capturing the beasts is recorded in several Roman mosaics, as is ‘damnatio ad bestias’, which became a motif of Christian martyrdom in later antiquity.