Classical World, Etruria, ca. early 5th century CE. A stunning large face of a horned anthropomorphic creature, representing the river deity Achelous (Acheloos), with a bearded face, and piercing gaze. His face is naturalistic, painted a deep, earthy red, with slightly parted, full lips and wide eyes with large, black irises and pupils. The eyes are outlined with thick, raised lids above raised cheekbones. A dramatic mustache and beard are carefully sculpted around his lower face, while his hair is incised, formed to give him the appearance of a thick coiffure with a curly fringe around the hairline. One horn rises from the side of his head; a second part of a coiled horn is still attached to the side of the head. This relates to his bull-like nature. Classic views of Achelous show him with a bearded, wild face, often surrounded by greenery. Size: 6.4" W x 8.1" H (16.3 cm x 20.6 cm); 9.95" H (25.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Achelous's name is pre-Classical, hinting at an origin far beyond the bounds of known history. In Greek mythology, he became the patron deity of the Achelous River, the largest river in Greece, and one frequently associated in the ancient Greek mind with magic and deities. Achelous was also an important Etruscan deity, his relationship to water giving him chthonic meaning and associating him with the mysteries of death and the underworld. His incarnation as a man-faced bull, as he is depicted here, arose with the Etruscans in the 8th century BCE, and spread from there to Greece. Homer placed him as the origin of rivers, the world's fresh (and drinkable) water; as the later Greeks, Etruscans, and then Romans formed their own interpretations of Homer, they began to call Achelous the "Prince of Rivers." In the swirling cultural milieu of the Mediterranean world, Etruscan and Greek traders and mercenaries carried his worship far afield, and he also became conflated with the ancient Near Eastern mythos of a "princely bison" who was believed to rise to the surface of the earth through springs, marshes, and, ultimately rivers. Imagine how stunning this piece would have looked, freshly painted, gazing down from the corner of an Etruscan building!

Finding Etruscan depictions of the god is rare; a much smaller bronze version sold at Bonhams, London in 2016 for approximately $5000 USD: http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23364/lot/21/

Provenance: private Secaucus, New Jersey, USA collection; ex-private Texas, USA collection, 1980s to 2000s; ex-private United Kingdom collection, acquired in 1980

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#131121

Piece is fragmentary, with losses to the back, beard, horns, and one corner of the top of the head, as shown. What remains is in nice condition, with good remaining pigment. Small chips and nicks from surface. Root marks visible, especially on the horn.