Ibis Eating a Lizard
100 BC–AD 100
Maker Unknown
Greek and Roman Art
Ibis Eating a Lizard, 100 BC–AD 100. Italy, Rome, Roman Empire. Bronze, hollow cast; overall: 37.5 cm (14 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1974.3 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. This sculpture was possibly used as a support for furniture, a candelabrum, or an incense burner.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- bronze, hollow cast
- Dimensions
- Overall: 37.5 cm (14 3/4 in.)
- Departments
- Greek and Roman Art
- Accession Number
- 1974.3
- Credit Line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Exhibitions
- Year in Review: 1974, CMA, 11 March-6 April 1975, The Year in Review for 1974, cat.: CMA Bulletin 62, no. 3 (March 1975), no. 6, illus. p. 65
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 103 Roman
Have a concern, a correction, or something to add?
