Hand of the young Dionysus
1st century AD; alt. cm 20; A thick grained marble section of a right hand originally part of a life-size statue. The hand is clutching the handle of a pitcher (probably an oinochoe) between the thumb, index and little fingers. The hand is at a right angle to the pitcher, which has an ovoid body, protruding mouth, and two wide holes at the back and in the bottom, probably to make way for the placement of an internal support.
A good comparison is with a Roman marble copy dating from the 1st century AD, from Lanuvio (Rome): the statue is of a young Dionysus, intent on pouring wine from a kantharos held in his right hand and with a small panther at his left side.

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, London; acquired on the European art market in the 1980s.

Estimate: GBP: 2.000-2.500