The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 7, 2022

Wolf-Head Barge Fixture

AD 1-100

Italy, Rome, 1st century AD

Bronze

Overall: 21.9 x 16.8 cm (8 5/8 x 6 5/8 in.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1985.51

Location

103 Roman

Fun Fact

The wolf is an important symbol of Rome, having reared its mythical founders, Romulus and Remus.

Description

This snarling wolf head is closely similar to others that were attached to a luxurious pleasure barge moored on Lake Nemi, near Rome. The ship was designed as a floating platform for elaborate parties, and included impressive bronze fittings to ornament the wooden structure. Beam ends were capped with lion, panther, and wolf heads, each with a large bronze ring between its teeth.

Citations
Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1985." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 73, no. 2 (1986): 26-71. Listed, p. 62, no. 5. www.jstor.org
Kozloff, Arielle P. "Keys of Ancient Rome." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 9 (1993): 368-75. Ill. p. 373, fig. 5. www.jstor.org
Exhibition history

The Year in Review for 1985. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 12-April 20, 1986).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.51