This statue was discovered in 2007 during rescue excavations on Avenue Jean Jaurès, which took place before the construction of an underground parking lot. They brought to light exceptional remains that document the history of the city of Nîmes.
Le bassin-fontaine (Romaine, Haut-Empire)Musée de la Romanité
This statue comes from a building with a series of prepared rooms along a courtyard. This authorized a well and a pond. The building may have acted as the headquarters of corporations or as a building for welcoming travellers.
La statue de Neptune retrouvée lors des fouilles préventives de l’avenue Jean Jaurès en 2007 (Romaine, Haut-Empire)Musée de la Romanité
The statue was found in the backfill of a rectangular pond with a semicircular apse on one of its longitudinal sides. This pond has the peculiarity of having a double ramp used as an access point on one of its small sides.
When it was discovered, the statue was broken into 92 fragments. It was restored with the sole aim of making it as stable as possible, as the right leg was missing. The metal rod of the trident is a contemporary addition to
The statue was made of local limestone but imitates popular models. Middle-aged, his beard and hair are long and curly, and a cloth over his left shoulder tones down his nudity. His right arm is placed on his right leg, which is resting on a ship's prow.
Reconstitution du basin-fontaine (Romaine, Haut-Empire)Musée de la Romanité
The location of the statue in a pond—and the hole in the prow of the ship—suggest that it was originally a fountain statue erected above the semi-circular apse. Finding a fountain statue in its original context is very rare.
Neptune (Romaine, Haut-Empire)Musée de la Romanité
Despite the absence of an inscription, a number of elements help identify it as Neptune: the classical Greco-Roman iconography, the ship's prow decorated with marine animals, the trident, and the dolphin's tail on the right arm. In addition, the statue was used to decorate a water monument.
Détail du socle de la statue de Neptune (Romaine, Haut-Empire)Musée de la Romanité
The base of the statue is the prow of a battleship, which has a hull adorned with animal figures.
A dolphin on the starboard.
Détail du socle de la statue de Neptune (Romaine, Haut-Empire)Musée de la Romanité
and on the port side.
A water jet gushed out of the vessel's hole and poured into the pond.
Some remains of polychromy (multiple colors) can still be seen on the drapery, including some red and blue, which increases the exceptional character of this statue.
Neptune (Romaine, Haut-Empire)Musée de la Romanité
This locally created statue testifies to the Greco-Roman influence given that such a popular figure at the time was the inspiration.
Musée de la Romanité de Nîmes - https://museedelaromanite.fr/
Realization: Ville de Nîmes - Musée de la Romanité
Iconography: © Ville de Nîmes - Musée de la Romanité
3D reconstruction © Passé-Simple (http://www.passesimple.net/)
Photos of excavations © Inrap
