Imperial Romain Bronze Statuette of a Dwarf Silene from the 1st-2nd century A.D. In very good condition with superb patina even if the right hand is lost.
Carved from a small limestone monolith, this statuette is certainly one of the first three-dimensional images of elephant in Near Eastern art; moreover, these large mammals were rarely represented in the rich animal iconography of this prominent culture.
Like almost all Syrian terracotta statuettes dated to this period, this figurine was hand-modeled in a very stylized, almost instinctive manner; it is seated on a simplified stool.