Miniature Cupid figurine, bronze

Cupid / Eros – the god of love in antiquity and everyday life

Cupid is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Eros, the god of love and desire. In Roman mythology, he is regarded as the son of Venus (Greek: Aphrodite), the goddess of love and beauty – a lineage that explains his close iconographic connection with her.

In classical and Hellenistic visual art, the depiction of Eros underwent a transformation: the originally youthful, athletic messenger of the gods became the putto – a small, winged boy with a bow and arrow, symbolising the unpredictable, all-pervading power of love. This motif was ubiquitous in Roman art: on gemstones, reliefs, murals, sarcophagi and, indeed, as bronze statuettes in private homes and on journeys.

In ancient daily life, Cupid was not an abstract mythological figure, but a deity who was actually worshipped and had specific areas of responsibility: he presided over romantic happiness, procreation, fertility and the emotional bonds between people. Small statuettes of Cupid were found in household altars (lararia), as votive offerings in temples and – as the finds from Comacchio show – as travelling companions on ships, in the luggage of merchants, soldiers and travellers who placed themselves under his protection.

Lost-wax casting and handcrafted

The statuette is cast from genuine, solid bronze using the intricate lost-wax casting process (cire perdue), the same technique used by ancient bronze casters to create their statues of the gods. Each piece is handcrafted in our own workshop: modelling, casting, finishing and surface treatment are all carried out carefully by hand. The result is not an industrially manufactured souvenir, but a high-quality, handcrafted unique piece with all the characteristic features of genuine bronze casting – subtle surface textures, a natural patina and the tangible weight of the metal.

Height: 30 mm
Material: Solid bronze
Manufacturing process: Lost-wax casting, handcrafted

The artefact and its archaeological context

This statuette is based on an antique original from the collection of the Neues Museum in Berlin. This miniature statuette of Cupid (Greek: Eros) was freely modelled on this original and forms part of a series of miniature bronze statuettes for the small travelling shrine (lararium portatile), which is based on the context of the find from the Roman shipwreck at Comacchio.

The wreck, which most likely sank between 19 and 12 BC, was salvaged near Comacchio in 1981, with the oxygen-poor mud preserving an exceptional portion of the cargo. Among the finds were so-called tempietti – miniature temples made of stamped lead plates with Ionic columns and lion’s paw feet, which served as personal devotional objects. Crucial to this series of articles: a small temple featuring figures of Venus and Cupid was recovered from the wreck – unique archaeological evidence that these two deities were worshipped together as a couple and belong together. The combination of both statuettes in a portable altar is thus historically documented. Museodeltaantico

This miniature statuette is the ideal addition for collectors of ancient religious artefacts, for anyone with a passion for Roman religion and everyday culture, as well as for re-enactment, living history and museum education. In the classroom, this small bronze piece can be used to explain a great deal: ancient craftsmanship, religious practices whilst travelling, the Roman pantheon, and the connection between Venus and Cupid.

Anyone who owns the accompanying Venus statuette from the same series holds in their hands, in the form of Cupid, the second half of a historically documented divine couple – just as a Roman sailor had placed them in his small travel shrine some 2,000 years ago. This is not merely archaeology. It is a direct, tangible link to a man who once lived, believed and travelled – and whose ship never reached port.