Ancient Mediterranean, Italy, Etruscan, Classical period, ca. 5th century BCE; Hellenistic period, ca. 3rd to 2nd century BCE; Roman, Imperial period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A finely varied group of four ancient metal objects that together trace nearly a thousand years of Italic and Roman craftsmanship. The earliest piece, dated to the 5th century BCE, is an Etruscan lead tin alloy stick figure of a man or warrior wearing a helmet. The sharply abstract silhouette with its elongated limbs and narrow torso reflects the geometric energy found in early Italic bronze sculpture, evoking martial identity or heroic symbolism. Figures of this type were often dedicated in sanctuaries or held within household shrines, embodying protection, strength, or personal devotion. Size of largest (helmeted figure): 0.8" W x 2.5" H (2 cm x 6.4 cm); 3.1" H (7.9 cm) on included custom stand.

The second Etruscan object, dating to the 3rd to 2nd century BCE, is a leaded bronze votive figure of a woman presenting an offering. She is defined by incised diagonal bands across her garment, and her outstretched arm recalls the ritual gestures seen in votive deposits throughout central Italy. Such figures served as direct petitions to the gods, left in temples to mark gratitude, prayer, or milestones in a devotee's life.

Completing the group are two Roman copper fish hooks, 1st to 3rd century CE. Each retains its elegantly curved form and sharply pointed barb, speaking to the practical rhythms of daily life in Roman coastal communities and river towns. Fishing supplied households, markets, and military outposts, making hooks like these essential tools across the empire. Viewed together, the four objects offer a compact study in Etruscan ritual practice, early Italic abstraction, and Roman daily labor, bound by the shared language of metalwork across centuries.

Provenance: private Fort Collins, Colorado, USA collection; two Etruscan figures were purchased from Harmer Rooke Galleries, New York, New York, USA on December 19th, 1984 in MB Auction XX as lots 90 and 121.

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#196246

Helmeted figure is missing tips of one arm and one leg. All have weathering and surface wear commensurate with age. Otherwise, female and hooks are intact and all have good presentations and rich patina throughout.