Roman, probably Augustan, Archaistic 1st cent. B.C.–1st cent. A.D. Bronze, silver. L. 2 31/64 in; 6.3 cm. H. 1 57/64 in; 4.8 cm

The sphinx straightens her upper body; the forelegs stretched out in front. Rising up next to the pointed breasts are the fanned-out wings, which on the inside finely are engraved or incised to represent plumage; the backs of the wings are smooth. The hair is coiffed into a knot and crowned with a diadem. Traces of silver inlay preserved in the eyes. Six teats indicated on the abdomen. The underside at the rump, like the thighs, with rather less modelling, the surface encrusted on the inside, which accords with the sculpting of the appliqué with an attachment to the vessel.

Partially overpolished in Antiquity. Brownish-green patina, strikingly dark in places, possibly due to its having been deposited in the Tiber. This sphinx is an old collection piece with old patina in places, and was cleaned and repatinated according to the methods of the time, in places down to the original surface.

Swiss priv. coll. Paolo Bonsera, Basel-Landschaft. Acquired on the Swiss art market, Bern, 2022.