Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. An elegant bronze and lead steelyard weight depicting a goddess, most likely Minerva, shown wearing a peplos with arched attachments at the shoulders. The goddess's head is turned, looking into the distance, with her wavy hair fantastically styled into a twist that wraps around the entirety of her head. Minerva was the Roman interpretation of the Greek goddess Athena; the Romans did not stress her warrior aspects, but instead her wisdom and knowledge. The bronze here is cast around a lead center, giving the piece a surprising weight; a perforation through the top of the head allowed it to be looped through a chain and hung from a balance. Size: 2.55" W x 3.7" H (6.5 cm x 9.4 cm); 5.25" H (13.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Steelyard balances were used to weight loads by moving a counterweight along the beam until it balanced and then reading the incised numeral. Vitruvius describes them and their function in his De Architectura, Book X, 3-4. See this complete example with a weight from Christie's: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-late-roman-bronze-steelyard-balance-and-5060684-details.aspx

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#137297

Smooth deep green patina with light encrustation in lower profile areas. Nice preservation of form. The lead underside/back has an encrusted white patina.