This highly unusual artefact demonstrates the best of Roman technical and artistic abilities in the casting of bronze sculptures. Originally belonging to a monumental larger-than-life-size statue (the piece is 27 tall), this lower left leg has been exquisitely modelled and is in a very fine state of preservation. The musculature of the calf namely the gastrocnemius and soleus group is perfectly rendered, while the smaller muscles of the foot (extensor digitorum and associated muscles) can be clearly seen on the dorsal surface of the foot. As the tibia and fibula cannot be seen, and the muscles of the calf are very large, it is probable that this leg originally belonged to a statue of an athlete, a muscular deity, or at least a man who viewed it as appropriate to be portrayed in heroic stance. Using regression formulae designed for calculating height from skeletal remains, the statue would have stood roughly 7 feet 3 inches tall. The small details of the toenails and toes are incredibly lifelike and carefully rendered. There is a mark on the dorsal surface of the foot that may be an identifying stamp, but it cannot be clearly seen. This is a beautifully rendered, well-patinated and preserved masterwork from a dynamic time of Roman artistic and technical ingenuity: a wonderful art object and an unsurpassable conversation piece. - (X.0698)

Antiquities
Ancient Roman