Gallo. Rome, I-II centuries AD.

Gallo. Rome, I-II centuries AD.
Bronze.
Provenance: Georges Savès collection.
Measurements: 3,7 cm.

Small Roman sculpture of zoomorphic type. Made in bronze, it represents a rooster resolved with a simplified and schematic style, characteristic of the votive offerings. Small in size, the figure shows the bird in an upright position, with its tail raised, highlighting its symbolic function more than its anatomical realism. In the Roman context, the rooster was associated with vigilance, light and sometimes with the cult of Mercury, so this piece was probably a type of votive offering deposited in sanctuaries as a sign of devotion or gratitude.

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 since the 1950s to historical and numismatic research, 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.