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Head of a Dog
Head of a Dog

Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

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Notes

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This object is supposedly a Roman ornament that once decorated the head-rest or foot-board of a 'lectus' – a low couch or day bed, which may have been used for reclining on during banquets by elite hosts and their guests. Dogs were valued animals in ancient Rome; they were thought to offer protection from ghosts and evil spirits, were sometimes offered as sacrifices to their gods, and often given their own tombs and epitaphs when they died. They were also regularly depicted in Roman myths and legends in practical roles.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Birmingham

Title

Head of a Dog

Date

1st C BC–1st C AD

Medium

bronze

Measurements

H 11.5 x W 12.5 x D 7 cm

Accession number

51.3

Acquisition method

purchased at Sotheby's, 1951

Work type

Sculpture

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The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 2TS England

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