Luna

100 B.C.–A.D. 100

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

25.4 × 10 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-207949

This Roman bronze statuette depicts a female figure suspended in the air with her toes pointed as if about to land. She wears a peplos with a heavy mantle draped over her arms and blown upward over her head as though by a strong wind. Her left hand is raised to hold the edge of her peplos, and her right grasps an object that is difficult to identify. It might be an alabastron, a small vessel for precious liquids, or it may be the end of a short, down-turned torch. The windblown mantle and the alighting posture characterize the figure as a personification of nature, especially the celestial forces. Her attribute, either a torch, or perhaps a vessel of dew or dreams, gives her a nocturnal aspect. She has been thought to represent Nyx, the goddess of the night, but is more likely Luna (the Greek Selene), the moon goddess. Archival photographs prior to the acquisition of the statuette show the figure placed atop a bronze sphere on a low cylindrical base. It is uncertain whether these are original to the piece, but since the figure cannot stand on its own, it must have originally been part of a larger object.