Greek Bronze Comic Actor: Phylax

An ancient Greek bronze comic actor or Phylax, wearing a theater mask with an exaggerated mouth, standing with his left knee bent, long sleeves, leggings, and wrapped tightly in a short himation, his artificial macrophallus protruding below the hem.

Ca. 350 - 300 BC.

Height: 5 1/8 in. (13 cm).

This comedic character type is said to have been developed for the New Comedy and persisted with little change through the Second Century AD.

cf.: for a similar example, no. 108, p. 219 in True, et al., A Passion for Antiquities, Ancient Art from the Collection of Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman.

Formerly in a European private collection; with Herbert Cahn, Basel; with Royal-Athena Galleries, 1994; John W. Kluge collection, Virginia; Christie's, New York, The Morven Collection of Ancient Bronzes, June 8, 2004, lot 405; New York private collection.

Published: C. Vermeule and J. Eisenberg, Catalogue of the Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Bronzes in the Collection of John Kluge, New York and Boston, (1995), no. 93-33.

Inv#: 8302

Guaranteed Authentic

$15,000