A 19th century bronze of Hermaphroditus, a classical Greek figure, traditionally modelled with the body of a male and head of a woman, standing beside a tree trunk with quiver, circular decorated base. Note: The son of Hermes and Aphrodite, Hermaphrodite was a singularly handsome youth. According to Ovid, Salmacis the nymph from a lake in Caria, was enthralled by his beauty and passionately embraced him while he was bathing, their two bodies merged as one, creating the double gender. Height 28 cm.
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- Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
- Aphrodite / Venus - In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty, whilst in Roman mythology she is called Venus.
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