Lot 357A
modelled standing nude beside a tree trunk with a lizard climbing, mounted on a squared base with ebonised pedestalthe bronze 15.5cm highCondition: A patch to his shoulder blade, some surface wear and light scratching. Screwed through base to affix to more modern plinth base.Footnote: The prototype for this bronze is the 1st-2nd Century Roman Apollo Sauroctonos, now in the Louvre, which in turn is based on a renowned lost original by the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles. The lizard may represent a form of impurity which Apollo is about to remove, although it has also been suggested that Apollo, in his role as Sun God, is rousing the animal from its winter hibernation.
