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Cleverly designed with an iron bit attached to a bronze handle, this key can be admired from all angles. While the handle terminates in the head of a ferocious boar, farther down are back-to-back heads of Mercury—his wings formed from the ears of the boar—and his goat-legged, horned son, Silvanus (also known as Pan). Given the rustic nature of the heads, scholars have suggested that the key might once have unlocked a country villa.
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Details
- Title: Key
- Date Created: AD 1-100
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 15.6 cm (6 1/8 in.)
- Provenance: J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), New York, NY, Junius Spencer Morgan II (1867-1932), New York, NY, Dr. Vladimir G. Simkhovitch (1874-1959), New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Metalwork
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.586
- Medium: iron tang, bronze handle
- Fun Fact: The bronze handle of this key combines three heads: of a boar, Mercury, and Silvanus.
- Department: Greek and Roman Art
- Culture: Italy, Roman, 1st Century
- Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
- Collection: GR - Roman
- Accession Number: 1952.586
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