Torr Antiques & Decorative Arts

Description

This is a fine quality late 19th century bronze of a girl playing knucklebones. She is seated on the ground wearing a chiton, a form of clothing worn by the Ancient Greeks, which has slipped to expose her right shoulder and breast. It is a copy after the antique statue discovered in 1832 which is on display in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. There is a similar sculpture in the British Museum and though the girl is shown in the same pose she appears to be a little older.

Though unsigned it is most likely French in origin.

This composition of a girl playing knucklebones had symbolic significance in Ancient Greece. The girl is placing herself in the hands of chance, a reference to fate and the gods that preside over it. The young girl destined to be a wife is placing herself in the hands of Aphrodite, a divinity who became more and more important from the 4th century BC onward. Indeed, the "Aphrodite throw," where each knucklebone fell on a different side, was the best throw. Similarly, a girl waiting to be married was sometimes named philastragale, which means "loving knucklebones."

Dimensions: Height - 18cm Length - 19.5cm Width - 13.5cm
Weight 2.8 kg

Condition: The bronze is in exceptional condition with a lovely colour and patina. The interior cavity of the bronze plinth is filled with plaster.

Postage & packing: £10 within the UK