Name/Title
Plaque of ErosEntry/Object ID
RC.AC.06.47Description
This press-molded terracotta relief fragment depicts a winged youth, identified as Eros (Cupid), rendered in high relief against a flat backing panel. The figure is shown in left profile, featuring soft, youthful facial features framed by wavy curls of hair gathering toward the crown and nape of the neck. Prominently extended behind the upper back and shoulder is a feathered wing with clearly delineated diagonal feather registers.
Composed of a warm, sandy buff-to-tan earthenware clay matrix, the piece retains a triangular-to-trapezoidal fragment contour bounded by thick, irregular fracture lines along the top, right, and bottom edges. Relief plaques depicting Eros were widely produced across the Hellenistic and Roman Mediterranean, serving as votive offerings in sanctuary contexts—particularly those associated with Aphrodite/Venus—or as architectural decorative revetment panels (Campana relief style) for domestic interiors.Collection
Randolph College's Ancient CollectionsMade/Created
Time Period
1st Century BCE to 1st Century CELexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
Relic, ReligiousNomenclature Sub-Class
Religious ObjectsNomenclature Class
Ceremonial ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsDimensions
Height
13 cmWidth
8.5 cmDepth
3 cmProvenance
Provenance Detail
Donated by Dr. Herbert LipscombAcquisition Method
FoundCreate Date
August 10, 2026