Statuette of a Bull (3/4 Left Front)

A solid-cast statuette of a bull stands firmly on three legs with his left front hoof raised. His head is lifted and turned slightly to the left. The naturalistic modelling of the bull’s anatomy and musculature shows the loose skin under the animal’s neck in a series of pliant folds. The horns curve forward above the projecting ears and the eyes have incised pupils, irises, and lashes. The nostrils in the square snout are carved indentations and the poll is a mass of thick, curling locks. The tail curls back onto the right flank of the beast with the tassel of the tail resting against it. The animal is anatomically correct with genitals and incised ridges of sagging flesh framing the underbelly.

The image of a powerful bull probably alludes to the god Jupiter, who was associated with the animal and often took its guise in mythological legends. This statuette was most likely made as a votive offering that stood in a lararium—a household shrine that contained small sculptures of protective deities in bronze and sometimes silver. The figure is said to have been found in a house in Pompeii around 1790.