Hellenistic Bronze Hand

A stunning Bronze hand dating to the Hellenistic period. This hand was at one time part of a much larger sculpture of which it is probably the only extant part. The hand is represented slightly open, with the thumb and index brought together to hold a small sphere. Anatomical details are realised with the greatest care and attention to detail. This is a truly exceptional artwork of exceeding rarity. Bronze statutes are very rare, they have largely disappeared as they were melted down and reused already in Antiquity when bronze was used for coinage. A statue could be melted to literally produce cash. The rarity of the object, the delicacy of the features, along with the romantically enigmatic aspect of this hand make this artefact befitting the most serious collectors.

Bronze was exceptionally precious in antiquity and was used regularly for sculptures from the Archaic period onward. The main technique to realise bronze sculpture was called ‘lost-wax casting’ it consisted in realising a model of the sculpture (or parts thereof for a large statue) in wax, which was then covered in clay and fired. The wax being lost by melting a cast was created, into which fused metal was poured. Various parts could then be merged together.