Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The figure was likely part of the decorative apparatus of a fountain or nymphaeum. The vase on which the nymph is reclining is perforated and concealed the waterspout.

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The unfinished state of the back indicates that it was set in a niche or against a wall. It may represent a work that was publicly commissioned when Bononia’s waterworks were restructured and restored. Because of its elongated and disjointed proportions, perfunctory rendering – stereotyped and outlined in the drapery – and the stiff pose, the statue has tentatively been attributed to a local workshop that was rather inexpert at reinterpreting the models of the ancient Greek tradition.

Provenance: Bologna, Via Orefici, Palazzo Ronzani
Datation: 2nd century AD
Material: marble
Dimensions: height cm 35; width cm 135
Inventory #: 19455