A Roman Panther Handle in the Fogg Art Museum

The President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeHarvard Art Museum

A Roman Panther Handle in the Fogg Art MuseumAuthor(s): Winifred FriedmanSource: Acquisitions (Fogg Art Museum), No. 1966/1967 (1966 - 1967), pp. 43-53Published by: The President and Fellows of Harvard College on behalf of Harvard Art MuseumStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4300781 .

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A ROMAN PANTHER HANDLE IN THE FOGG ART MUSEUM

THE Fogg Art Museum has recently acquired a Roman bronze handle with a panther head, said to have been found in

Egypt, as a gift from the Schimmel Foundation.' Since only the lower end of the sharply curved handle shows any indication in either the design or the condition of the surface of a place of at- tachment to another object, it was apparently intended for vertical use (Fig. i). On what sort of object would such a handle appear and at what period would one be likely to encounter a panther rendered with similar competence and enthusiasm?

The maximum height of the piece is 0.139 m. The free upper end has been modelled as a panther's head; the width between the tips of the animal's ears is 0.04I m. The panther's elongated neck, around which there is a rope-like halter, springs from a collar composed of eight slightly varied vine-leaves or petals, with a small knob on each tip. This collar arrangement functioned as a thumb-rest; the leaves have been slightly hollowed out on the underside to serve this function. The panther is sculptured with considerable verve, and careful attention to zoological accuracy. The top of the head is appropriately flat, with a central furrow; the ears, laid back in menacing fashion, are asymmetrical, pointed, and nicely scooped out. The modelling throughout is clear and direct, especially in the planes of the firm high cheeks and sharply upturned snout, and the profile is strongly rhythmical. These ele- ments suggest the animal's power and efficiency. The mouth, however, widely opened to reveal four teeth and a tongue hang- ing slightly askew, adds a small note of affability. The tufts of hair

i. Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University (I965.26).

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i. Handle with Panther Head (Fogg Art Museum, I965.26)

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above and between the eyes are modelled crisply-rendered nat- uralistically rather than schematically.

Enhancing the modelling of the solid cast are many incised lines, drawn with freedom and liveliness. The pupils of the alert eyes and the deep grooves of the eye sockets, the strokes on the muzzle indicating upturned whiskers, and the deeply cut striations differ- entiating the coarser fur of the neck region from the slightly stip- pled skin, all augment the characterization of personality as well as texture.

The grip of the handle proper has a plain inside surface. The outside, which is grooved down the center with diagonal incised lines forming a single herringbone motif, terminates in a schema- tized palmette intended to mask the juncture of the handle and the original vessel.

The bronze is in good condition. It is brown with a light film of bluish-green patina over the entire handle, and there are areas of crusty bright blue-green at the collar, in the grooves, and at the break between the handle and the lamp to which we believe it was once attached.

According to Perlzweig, the panther-head handle regularly appears on pear-shaped lamps with fan-shaped nozzles which are generally dated, she maintains, to the first and- early second century A.D.2

It is significant that the closest parallels to our piece are to be observed in two handles also associated with Egypt, found and purchased there although listed as Greek by Perdrizet in his catalogue of the Fouquet collection.3 Both panther heads are remarkably similar to ours in naturalistic conception, details of modelling, and textural differentiation, although they are of slightly cruder execution. The curve of one handle and the four-petal thumb-rest

2. Judith Perlzweig, The Athenian Agora vol. VII, Lamps of the Roman Period, Princeton, New Jersey, I96I, p. 200.

3. Paul Perdrizet, Bronzes Grecs d'Jigypte de la Collection Fouquet, Paris, I9II.

nos. I 53 and I54, pl. XXXVII,pp. 87-88. For this, and other comparanda, I am much indebted to Mrs. Suzannah Doeringer and Mrs. Jane Scott of the Fogg Art Mu- seum Classical Department.

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of the other are like those of the Fogg piece. They are also comparable in size (o.ioo m. and O.I20 m.) and Perdrizet speculated that they, too, had come from lamps. He also shows a small cup with a panther-headed handle (.io c. overall); it is clear that the Fogg handle is too large to have been used in this way.

Another handle (H. 7 c.) of Egyptian provenance in the Cairo Museum was published by Edgar, dated by him to the Graeco- Roman period, and described as coming from a lamp "or other utensil."4 The panther with a protruding tongue again emerges from a calyx of four rather than eight leaves. The juncture of this example is masked by a leaf arrangement, and the back at the shaft is marked with diagonal incised lines, as is the Fogg handle.

None of the Egyptian examples is dated by external evidence. Neither date nor provenance is indicated by De Ridder for a some- what similar panther handle in the Louvre Museum.5 That the panther-head handle was not confined solely to Egypt, however, is indicated by the existence of an example found in Ostia and now in the Ostia Museum, there dated to the first or second century A.D.6 This panther also has ears laid back, furrowed brow, open mouth, a rope-like halter, and a collar of eight petals, but the workmanship is far less sophisticated than in either the Fogg or the Fouquet bronzes.

No example of an intact lamp with panther handle of comparable quality has thus far been encountered by this writer, but a series of lamps with more rudimentary representations of panthers, as well as many other animals, support the thesis that the Fogg handle served this function. Some of these lamps are from the Campanian cities buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Barre-Roux published a series of lamps from Herculaneum and

4. C. C. Edgar, Catalogue Gene'ral des Antiquite's ETgyptie'nnes du Muse'e du Caire: Greek Bronzes, Cairo, I904, no. 27.982, p. 85.

5. A. De Ridder, Les Bronzes Antiques du Louvre, Paris, I913, vol. II, pl. 94, no. 2617.

6. R. Calza and M. Floriani-Squarciapino, Museo Ostiense (Itinerari dei Musei e Gallerie d'Italia, no. 79), Roma, I962, p. 93, no. 4I46.

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Pompeii, one of which he describes as having the head of a tiger.7 This appears almost identical to a lamp with a panther's head from Pompeii, dated to the Augustan period which was in a Berlin collection in I904,8 except that the Barre-Roux handle's grip was segmented. On both, there is a simple, clearly articulated panther- like profile, with open mouth, laid back ears, pronounced brow, and forceful modelling. Neither has the complete collar of leaves of the Fogg example, but instead a simple turned-back leaf-ele- ment performing a similar function. It is impossible to ascertain the degree of textural differentiation in either animal, because of the condition of the Berlin example and the simplicity of the Barre-Roux drawing, but a lamp in the Princeton Museum9 which appears to be very close in type would indicate that all of these examples were more schematic and less highly finished than the object of which the Fogg handle formed a part. (Fig. 2). All are of comparable size, and all have the sharply curved handle, with the pear-shaped lamp and fan-shaped nozzle producing a profile which may be described as gondola-shaped. These lamps were either placed on bronze tripods or suspended by chains. Pernice repro- duces two similar lamps from Pompeii, shown on stands orna- mented with variants of palmettes and animal-paw feet. These lamps, one of which terminates in a lion's head and the other in that of a horse, are of the same simple shape as the panther-head group,10 as is the Field Museum's reproduction of a lion-head lamp in the Naples Museum.1' The variants with chains for sus-

7. M. L. Barre and H. Roux, Herculanum et Potmpe'i, Tome VII, Paris, I840, plate 6o, drawing top right.

8. E. Pernice, "Erwerbungen der Antikensammilungen in Deutschland. Berlin Antiquarium," in Jahrbuch des Kaiserlich Deutschlen Archiiologischen Instituts, i9.

1904. p. 25. Inv. no. 8559. L. 0155 m. 9. The Art Museum, Princeton University, no. 4I-13. H. O.J05 m., overall L.

OI85 m. io. E. Pernice, Die Hellenistische Kunst in Pompeii, Bd. Iv. Gefasse und Gerate

aus Bronze, Berlin and Leipzig, I925, plate xv, right and left. ii. F. B. Tarbell, Catalogue of Bronzes in the Field Museum of Natural History,

Field Museum of Natural History Publication 130, vol. viii, no. 3, Chicago, I909, fig. 38.

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pension are published by Walters, one with a well-executed lion's head, the other with a horse's head springing from a calyx. Wal- ters remarks that modelled lamps appear to have been popular in Egypt, and agrees with Loeschcke that "subject triumphs over mere decorative motives" in the Augustan period.12 But that the general type was widespread geographically is suggested by the Pannonian example published by Ivanyi, a rudimentary example with a horse's head.13

However, it is the variant with a panther head that particularly concerns us. Along with the lion, various monsters, and many other motifs such as the lotus and the palmette, the panther first

2. Lamp with Panther Head (Art Museum, Princeton University, 41-I3)

I2. H. B. Walters, Catalogue of Greek and Roman Lamps in the British Museum, London, 1914, p. iS, plate vIa, fig. 84, and plate vi, fig. 85, discussion of types, p. XXVII.

I3. Dora Ivainyi, Die Pannonischen Lampen, Budapest, I935, LXVI, fig. 8 and p. 306.

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appeared during the Orientalizing period of Greek Art, 700-575 B.C.14, having already been known in Mesopotamia-and of great- er relevance for our handle-in Egypt.

The animal does not exist zoologically as a species distinct from the leopard. "Panther" is merely the popular name for the bigger unspotted black member of the leopard family, or the archaeolo- gist's name for a leopard seen frontally.15 There was a lack of clear differentiation made in antiquity between the panther and the leopard, and there were even some erroneous notions about the animal's ability to crossbreed with lions, since lion cubs may also have spots. Nevertheless, it is certain that the panther existed in ancient Rome, since the name, in various forms, is found on lists of dutiable animals.16 From the second century B.C. on, they were brought to the capital in ever-increasing numbers to appear in elaborate spectacles, particularly in battle with human beings. This importation of wild animals into Rome evidently gave an impetus to their representation in art.17 At the other extreme from his Colosseum role, the panther was frequently cast as the friend and companion of Dionysus. With or without a clear Dionysian allu- sion, panthers appear in a number of ways, serving many functions -as independent statuettes, fashioned into utilitarian vessels, or as ornaments on larger objects such as tables or chariots.

A high point of realistic, dramatic characterization of the animal is reached in a bronze pantheress in the Metropolitan Museum. Shown lying on her side with head and paw raised, she has a marvelously supple body, modelled with such accuracy, that it is probable a live animal was studied. The pose and expression are authentically cat-like, oddly appropriate for an animal either at play or wounded; it is not clear what was intended. The illusion of reality is enhanced by variegated spots, originally inlaid with sil-

I4. Winifred Lamb, Greek and Roman Bronzes, London, 1929, p. 53. IS. W. L. Brown, The Etruscan Lion, Oxford, I960, p. 170.

i6. G. Jennison, Animals for Shouv and Pleasure in Ancient Rome, Manchester, I937, p. 45.

I7. Gisela M. Richter, Animals in Greek Sculpture, New York, I930, p. 9.

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ver, which cover the entire body. It is thought that the original conception of this animal was Hellenistic, but that the actual workmanship was of the early Imperial period.18

Probably contemporary and very similar in its carefully observed anatomy-and spots-is a bronze male panther found in the waters of Monaco in 1949, now in the Musee des Antiquites Nationales de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.19 The pose-head flung back, paw raised-derives from Oriental representations of fantas- tic animals, such as sphinxes and griffons,20 but here the attitude seems momentary and lifelike, rather than conventionalized. Since panthers, particularly in this pose, were frequently associated with representations of the wine-god Dionysus, it may be that these animals were originally part of a group. The Dionysian reference is reinforced by the garland of vine leaves encircling the body of a bronze pantheress sitting on her haunches with one upraised paw, from the Rothschild collection.21 These three bronze statuettes are comparable to our Fogg panther handle because they belong to the naturalistic rather than the conventionalized trend of animal representation. The Rothschild panther's head particularly bears a family resemblance to ours-they are of the same perky type, rendered in a similar crisp technique with scrupulous attention to anatomical details and variations of fur, hair, and skin.

Panthers which served functional purposes or were ornaments on larger objects also were often depicted with careful naturalism. There is now in the Museum der Antiker Kleinkunst in Munich a quite lifelike "Hellenistic" bronze panther head which evidently served as a spout on a drinking vessel.22 Even though unnaturally symmetrical, his bulging forehead, feline cheeks and snout, care-

i8. Richter, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Bronzes, New York, 1915, pp. i62ff. and fig. 403.

I9. Raymond Lanthier, "Panthere en Bronze Trouvee en Mer Pres de Monaco," La Revue des Arts, Paris, I95I, no. 2, p. II5. Also Fondation Piot, Monuments et Memoirs, t. 46, I952, pp. 69-73, figs. I-3, pl. 9, no. 79.767.

20. Salomon Reinach, Fondation Piot, Monuments et Me'moirs, t. 4, I897, p. II4.

21. Ibid., pl. x and p. io6, fig. i.

22. J. Sieveking, Die Bronzen der Sammlung Loeb, Munich, 1913, pls. 33 and 34.

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fully modelled eyes, and accurately shaped ears are specifically characteristic of a panther. Many water-spouts of this type, but more frequently modelled as lion's heads, have survived.23

An even closer analogy to our bronze panther in size, sculptured vigor, and strong rhythmical contour, is to be found in a small marble Roman panther at Dumbarton Oaks.24 This object, which might have been part of a table leg, is catalogued as "Roman," without specific date. However, a marble table with similar panther heads appearing above animal legs is to be seen outside the Casa dei Cervi at Herculaneum.25

A splendid and securely dated panther is the impressive bronze mask with a ring in its mouth once used on one of the pleasure barges of Caligula (3 7-41 A.D.) found at Lake Nemi.26 Very much larger than the Fogg panther handle, he is simultaneously more ferocious in expression and even more zoologically correct in detail. There are no overtones here of the friend of Dionysus; one feels that this animal had been seen recently at the arena, probably hungry. This is vividly suggested by the heavily furrowed forehead, sinister gaze, long snout, and gaping mouth. The artist dem- onstrates remarkably exact observation and great virtuosity in modelling, particularly in the rendering of textures-the hair of the mane is much coarser than that of the ears and the rest of the face, and even the pores of the nose and the muzzle are indicated, as well as the large and variegated spots.

The Fogg panther head seems to fit neatly into this early first- century tradition of naturalism although it cannot compete in

23. Richter, . . . Bronzes, pp. I66-I67, nos. 406-409. See also Walters, Catalogue ..., p. 302, for description of panthers on brooches and a knife-handle; Ernest Babelon and J. Adrien Blanchet, Catalogue des Bronzes Antiques de la Bibliothe'que Nationale, Paris, I895, pp. 469-476, for an assortment of panthers on various objects; and H. Menzel, Die Rotnischen Bronzen aus Deutschland: II, Trier, Mainz, I966, pl. io6, fig. 278b, for a pantheress chariot-ornament.

24. Richter, Catalogue of Greek and Roman Antiquities in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection, Cambridge, I956, no. 8, p. 12, plate IV B.

25. G. Richter, The Furniture of the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, London, I966, fig. 572.

26. Guido Ucelli, Le Navi di Nemi, Rome, 1950, fig. 236.

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magnificence with the Nemi panther or its companion lion-and wolf-masks. These, however, were made under imperial patron- age, while the Fogg panther head probably belonged to an object in daily use in a middle-class household.

There is a group of panthers of similar quality, which demon- strates the trend away from exuberance and naturalism, toward distortion in proportion, schematization of detail, and abstraction. In this category can be placed both of the bronze pantheresses, with raised paws, which functioned as vessels, in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection,27 a statuette from the Castiglione Collection which is dated to the second or third century A.D.,28 the panther heads decorating a tripod in the Walters Art Gallery in Balti- more29 dated to the third century, and the very similar panther head, evidently also from a bronze tripod, from Augusta Raurica.30 The only panther handle which seems to belong to this group of later representations is the Perlzweig example from the Athenian Agora.31 It is comparable in size to the Fogg handle (0.I04 m. in height) and is also triangular in section and sharply curved. Simi- larly, the panther's head emerges from the calyx of a flower. Yet the comparative schematization of the panther's head indicates the survival of the type into the third century.

The panther-the actual animal and the motif in art-was an import from Egypt; four of our panther-head handles have a putative Egyptian provenance. It is tempting to hypothesize that the type originated in early Roman Egypt, reached the Roman mainland during the first century in the wave of Egyptian taste which is reflected in the Pompeian examples, and subsequently spread throughout the Empire. The Fogg panther handle may be placed at the very beginning of this development.

WINIFRED FRIEDMAN

27. Richter, Dumbarton Oaks, no. 20, p. 38, pL. XI B and no. 25, p. 43, pl. XI A.

28. Leo Planiscig, Collezione Camillo Castiglione, Vienna, I923, no. 5. 29. D. K. H1Il, "Roman Panther Tripods," AmericanJournal of Archaeology, LV,

I95I, pp. 344-346. 30. Rudolph Laur-Belart, Fuhrer durch Augusta Raurica, Basel, 1959, fig. 72. 3I. Perlzweig, op. cit., p. 200, no. 2945, pL. 48.

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Documents

A Roman Panther Handle in the Fogg Art Museum