Roosters; Roman amulets, 1st-2nd century A.D.

Pair of amulets in the shape of a rooster. Rome, I-II centuries A.D.
Cast bronze on stone bases.
Provenance: Collection Georges Savès (1908-1985)
Measurements: 2,9 cm and 2,2 cm; 1,5 cm (pedestal) and 1,7 cm (pedestal).

Two small Roman bronze amulets representing standing roosters, mounted on circular polished stone bases. One of the pieces preserves a hole in the body of the animal, probably intended for use as a pendant or suspended element.
In the Roman world, the rooster was a symbol of vigilance and protection, associated both with Mercury and with apotropaic functions. This type of amulet was used to ward off the evil eye, to protect the wearer or to accompany in ritual or funerary contexts. Their small size and careful modeling place them in the realm of personal objects of devotion or daily superstition.

This piece comes from the collection of Georges Savès (1908-1985), a French numismatist and collector with a deep vocation for archaeological study. Heir to a family tradition of collecting, he devoted himself fully to historical and numismatic research since the 1950s, especially on Toulouse and Gallic coins. Throughout his life, he assembled an eclectic collection of archaeological, ethnographic and artistic pieces, enriched in 1966 with the acquisition of part of the Roger Bédiat collection. Author of specialized studies, his legacy remains a reference in the academic and patrimonial fields.