Pluto
WB.2.b
100 BC–1 BC •
Bronze •
medallion
Curator's Description
Bronze circular medallion, head of Pluto in high relief, cast and chased with pendant ribbed ring below for use as handle; head turned slightly to right with drooping moustache and beard, with long tress on each shoulder; on the head a wreath and lotus flower head-dress.
This object was collected and bequeathed to the British Museum by Ferdinand Anselm Rothschild.
How big is it?
11 cm wide, 11 cm high, 5 cm deep, and it weighs 414g
Detailed Curatorial Notes
Provenance: None is recorded.
Commentary: The medallions were formerly described as litter handles, however the heads have now been re-attributed since the original British Museum catalogue and it is thought more likely that the handles are for something other than a litter, as the handles do not sit in a position which would make this practical. The deities depicted and the findspot near a cemetery suggest that the handles more likely belonged to a piece of funerary furniture such as a chest.
Bibliography
- Charles Hercules Read, 'The Waddesdon Bequest: Catalogue of the Works of Art bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, M.P., 1898', London, 1902, no. 2
- O.M. Dalton, 'The Waddesdon Bequest', 2nd edn (rev), British Museum, London, 1927, no.2
- H. Tait, 'The Waddesdon Bequest', British Museum, London, 1981, p. 13 and figs. 3-4
- L. Summerer, 'Vier Hellenistische Bronzen Aus Amisos', in Archäologischer Anzeiger, 1998, pp.401-14.
- Read 1902: Read, Charles Hercules, The Waddesdon Bequest. Catalogue of the Works of Art Bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, M.P., 1898, London, BMP, 1902
- Dalton 1927: Dalton, Ormonde Maddock, The Waddesdon Bequest : jewels, plate, and other works of art bequeathed by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild., London, BMP, 1927