Recently acquired this gorgeous bronze, antique nouveau vanity tray. It's only 9 inches wide but feels like it weighs over two pounds. It's lushly designed with swirling, curling leaves and flowers, and right in the middle is a mysterious, god-like male face. Being a vanity tray, he's clearly judging you, (har!) but does anyone really know who he is? A few other onliners think he's a viking or some type of "God of Thunder." Sounds good to me, but I'd really like to know more. Because, you know, maybe he's just Santa Claus? If anyone has any real information, please respond. Thank you!
My best guess is this is an image of Hercules. He seems to be wearing a Lion head, an image associated with Hercules wearing the head and skin of the Nemean Lion.
ReplyDeleteI'll second JMR777 I think the lion head is the give-away.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it's a beautiful piece. That's a lot of fine detail work -- I like how the scroll/leaves have some empty spots, the mane above the lion, and the look on the face.
That's a very good guess! Must be.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing pointing to Norse mythology and there are no lions up here in the north, only wolves, giants and giant snake monsters.
I was going to say the same because of the lion. Herakles. But the facial hair here makes for a very Scandinavian-looking Greek, that's for sure. Gilgamesh also killed lions, which feature prominently in his iconography, but this looks even less Sumerian than Greek. And what are those, oak leaves? This is a very Greenman kinda guy wearing an equatorial kind of cat. A mash-up? Not that the Art Nouveau movent didn't do just this, applying an Aryan looks to whatever appropriated esoterica struck the European fancy at the time.
ReplyDeleteI'd have never thought that was a plate instead of a wall hanging. Is the back just flat?
I think the style of beard gives it a Norse god look, we don't usually associate Hercules/Herakles with that type of beard, though there are some depictions of him clean shaven.
ReplyDeleteWhoever he really is, it is still a great find.