Antik romer Bronze Statuette af Silvanus - 56 mm (Ingen mindstepris)

Ancient Roman Bronze Statuette of Silvanus

Culture / Period: Ancient Roman
Date / Period: 1st–2nd century A.D.
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: 56 mm
Condition: Good condition

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Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 960

The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the statuette of Silvanus from R.W. in Voorburg, The Netherlands.

The previous owner, R.W. from Voorburg, stated that the object had been in his collection since the 1990s.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in The Netherlands since the 1990s.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
Silvanus was a Roman deity associated with forests, cultivated land, livestock and the boundaries of rural property. His worship was closely connected with the agricultural world, and he was particularly relevant to farmers, landowners and others whose livelihoods depended upon the countryside.

In Roman art, Silvanus was generally represented as a mature, bearded male figure, sometimes wearing a simple rustic garment or animal skin. His attributes could include branches, fruit and the pruning hook (falx), reflecting his association with woodland, agriculture and fertility. Small bronze representations of deities formed part of an established Roman tradition and could serve as personal or household devotional objects.

The cult of Silvanus originated in Italy but became established in various parts of the Roman Empire, with particularly strong evidence for his worship in several Danubian and Balkan provinces, including Pannonia, Dalmatia and Dacia. His popularity illustrates how traditional Roman religious practices accompanied communities across the expanding Imperial world while also adapting to regional settings.

Dating to the 1st–2nd century A.D., this statuette belongs to the Roman Imperial period, when small bronze religious figures were produced and circulated throughout the Empire. Such objects brought divine imagery into the personal sphere and provide a direct physical connection to Roman religious practice and the everyday lives of the people who used them.