ITEM: Votive ear MATERIAL: Bronze CULTURE: Roman PERIOD: 1st - 3rd Century A.D DIMENSIONS: 63 mm x 37 mm (without stand) CONDITION: Good condition PROVENANCE: Ex German private collection, acquired between 1970 - 1980 Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export license. IMPORTANT: Stand not included. In the ancient Roman world, votive offerings—known as donaria or ex-votos—served as tangible manifestations of religious vows made between worshippers and deities. Among the wide array of anatomical votives, model ears crafted from bronze, terracotta, silver, or lead were dedicated at healing sanctuaries and temples dedicated to gods associated with medicine and listening, such as Aesculapius, Serapis, Minerva, or Apollo. These anatomical models formed part of a reciprocal ritual practice summarized by the Latin phrase votum solvit libens merito ("fulfilled the vow willingly and deservedly"), bridging the gap between human vulnerability and divine power. Anatomical votive ears fulfilled a twofold symbolic role within Roman ritual worship. On one level, an ear represented a specific physical ailment, dedicated by a supplicant seeking divine intervention for deafness, infections, or earaches—or given in gratitude following a successful cure. On a deeper religious level, the ear functioned as a metaphor for divine attentiveness (deus auritus, a "god who listens"). By presenting a carved or cast ear at a shrine, the worshipper sought to visually prompt the deity to open their ears to prayers, ensuring that petitions for health, safe travel, or protection would not go unheard. Surviving examples reveal significant variation in production and artistic sophistication depending on the wealth of the dedicated individual. Mass-produced terracotta ears press-molded from clay were affordable to common citizens, whereas elite individuals commissioned fine cast bronze or silver examples, occasionally inscribed with the name of the donor or the receiving god. Discovered in abundance at sanctuary sites across Italy and the wider provinces, these modest anatomical artifacts provide intimate insights into Roman lived religion, personal piety, and ancient medical beliefs.