Cleveland Museum of Art

Imperial Eagle

Date

100 BCE–100 CE

Medium

bronze with garnet inlays

Culture

probably Syria, Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This eagle stands on an integrated bronze base with overlapping ovoid-shaped feathers creating a layered pattern across its body, and its tail feathers fanned out. The wings, now lost, were likely cast separately in bronze and then soldered or welded to the bird’s body. The eyes are inlaid with red stones believed to be garnets. The eagle is associated with Jupiter, king of the gods, and the Roman poets Virgil and Horace described the birds as the bearers of his thunderbolt. While eagles were often depicted on Roman coins, the bird is rarely depicted in the round in Roman art. The eagle was a symbol of the Roman Empire and its military.

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