Italy, Rome, Roman Empire / 100 BCE–100 CE
Ibis Eating a Lizard
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Ibis Eating a Lizard as sculpture (Italy, Rome, Roman Empire · 100 BCE–100 CE).
This sculpture was possibly used as a support for furniture, a candelabrum, or an incense burner.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze, hollow cast.
The museum's collection notes: The ibis is an Egyptian bird, shown here standing firmly on both legs with a lizard in its beak. The bird rests on a two-tiered circular base, and a vertical stem with incised decoration extends above the ibis’s head. While an Egyptian animal, the image of the ibis devouring a lizard became common only in the Roman world, depicted in wall paintings and seen on Barbotine ware, a type of pottery. This sculpture may be unique, however, in showing this motif in the round.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtIbis Eating a LizardOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.