Luna

Getty Museum

Luna

Creator

UnknownAll works by this person →More on Getty ULAN
Date
100 B.C.–A.D. 100
Medium
Bronze
Culture
Roman
Department
Sculpture
Institution
Getty Museum
Object ID
13343710-b103-46d5-8309-305342b77773

From the Getty Museum record

This Roman bronze statuette depicts a female figure suspended in the air with her toes pointed as if about to land. She wears a peplos with a heavy mantle draped over her arms and blown upward over her head as though by a strong wind. Her left hand is raised to hold the edge of her peplos, and her right grasps an object that is difficult to identify. It might be an alabastron, a small vessel for precious liquids, or it may be the end of a short, down-turned torch. The windblown mantle and the alighting posture characterize the figure as a personification of nature, especially the celestial forces. Her attribute, either a torch, or perhaps a vessel of dew or dreams, gives her a nocturnal aspect. She has been thought to represent Nyx, the goddess of the night, but is more likely Luna (the Greek Selene), the moon goddess. Archival photographs prior to the acquisition of the statuette show the figure placed atop a bronze sphere on a low cylindrical base. It is uncertain whether these are original to the piece, but since the figure cannot stand on its own, it must have originally been part of a larger object.

The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.

Get printable QR codes

Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.

Open this page QR destination: https://linkedculture.org/q/q1.McKHp6qlW6eYjwYF.W-2uTRW9FWCsZXw4w7Fm4OJHlTTOhn3l58Sm7uEOaSZe5MZzsb95JNNG7C3CH3WV1Z4TrVQO5-77oLUjzpzxQzjBNL20rdGlNK08nqHyNjCgLeXTXWchs8qHtpoouTOEMh3J7b9HH7qf_neBlG8J3Gq3w_8LQK8X7uOcNK7JNDHNFoILEb0vsBSvWErB6vjqyRpg11-7AEB7hrcDpWcI84niHtm-qctwUSSECcI_2ImJpSCyESgoEvJ5DM_UZr7vQDNzrOwSF35dai8z6Fa9LxzLPPTkUUpdh8spCAoJY5X39HbNhKEugdchqc4uZkrU9DfNrEvfUDLawBeCWTdEpStTLAiCoxtnGzaKbDKSuCzHPq1cc6F9gXkUAHJtIvqDC1EfX-5C_-BHr1p3s_j1See at Getty Museum QR destination: https://linkedculture.org/q/q1.AqvydsjLeaBwnkn4.53sKin7CzYSLHagZbQpuRDKiJfqZi6PHLTHU-vnH8W331V5iT1mmZ2hRuFfluZ9cb1pDrQfS-kvA4wG_hM5KCtgeHaXeBoRSSx1zwQL3HXpm7P0I6XaRqJoyOmB8VcucnTV4QBMmnbtez7x9ZrPV9sGony9pJhDvU5xdrNXBSD64xZ3mImxzAewhEC_5Pe7izTkCtaYXa7pDkCckrWmjonknNbBBDTPLaS3qt90wWV4NTZEKDCAedL6b66RWAYcnNaSRYbu0wYPyLvR83GZTjW4L7Z10_71382R4P0Zhe5n5WSOM0PK9ZhQc037zmyg23qDUjzvtzKmU7VxatlQ2I3RAMtr6x17l-jeonAAW9TcHzlnSgIMR1i--3C0
Open this page
See at Getty Museum

Related across collections

Semantically similar works from Getty Museum and other institutions.