Gladiator relief from Aquileia
The original dates from the 1st - 2nd c. AD.
This detailed, lovely crafted Gladiator is made after a fragment of a tomb relief from Aquilea and is a jewel for every lover of Roman art.
The relief replica from ceramic casting shows a Murmillo, the further development of the Gladiators type Samnit. The murmillo (Latin; also: myrmillo, mirmillo, mormillo) was a heavily-armed Roman Gladiator. The name derives from murma, a fish which was caught in nets. The murmillo was originally used against a Gladiator who was armed with a net, the retarius. The Samnit was the most magnificent of all Gladiators. His ornate armor consisted of an open helmet with cheek flaps, busch and springs, a breastplate made of metal, gauntlet on the sword arm, one or two greaves and a large, oval or rectangular shield. His weapon of attach was the lance, seldom the straight sword. At the beginnings of the Roman Empire, the Samnit disappeared from the arenas. He was succeeded by the less glamorous, but still decorated Hoplomachus.
The equipment of the Gladiator depicted is an expensive helmet, a belt made of metal, a large rectangular shield and a short sword.
Our replica is a very detailed and elaborate representation of this type of Gladiator relief.
- Dimensions: approx. 15x12cm
- Hand patinated alabaster gypsum
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