Trapezophoron, section

Roman art

The slab, perhaps one of those transferred in the seventeenth century to Palazzo Borghese in Campo Marzio to decorate the garden, was originally part of one of the two trapezophorons – a term indicating particularly ornate table supports – sectioned into four slabs, later used to decorate as many statue bases in Villa Pinciana. The relief presents two lion paws, each surmounted by a lion’s head, separated by a rectangular panel with a wide groove frame. The composition features a decorative vase which contains two descending flowering branches and a large palmette with seven leaves opening upwards.

The production of trapezophorons in animal shape or with theriomorphic leg ornamentation dates back to the late Classical period and was very popular during the Hellenistic age, when the animal protome adornments were also added, a decorative solution that remained unaltered throughout the Imperial age.

Object details

Commentary

The relief in question was probably transferred in 1671 together with statues and bas-reliefs from Villa Pinciana to Palazzo Borghese in Campo Marzio to serve as garden decoration. This hypothesis is based on an engraving by Venturini dating to the second half of the seventeenth century, an engraving of the Garden Fountain of the family’s palazzo in which a similar fragment of one of the two trapezophorons – a term indicating particularly ornate table supports – can be recognised (Falda 1691, pl. 12).

Later, the trapezophorons were relocated to Villa Pinciana and sectioned into four slabs, which were then used to decorate as many statue bases arranged symmetrically on both sides of Room V in concomitance with new display of the collection commissioned by Camillo Borghese between 1819 and 1832 in the Casino, whose holdings had been significantly reduced due to the sale of antique works to his brother-in-law Napoleon Bonaparte.

The relief presents two lion paws at its extremities, each surmounted by a lion’s head, separated by a rectangular panel with a wide groove frame. The composition features a decorative kantharos vase with a small foot, an ample grooved body, a broad bead-decorated neck and a raised rim, crowned by a flared lip. From the vase emerge three bilobate leaves with relief ribbing and a palmette with seven lobes; the central lobe is lanceolate and dividing into three extremities, while the lateral lobes with enlarged ends and terminating in a hook are oriented towards the centre. From the vase also stem two flowering branches, descending and partially merging with the ‘acanthus’ vase handles. The leonine protome is rendered in a very schematic manner; the snout is broad, the open jaws contain partly preserved large canines. The thick mane is plastically defined by large locks, drawn forward and creating a dishevelled effect, resulting in a voluminous crown around the forehead.

The production of trapezophorons in the shape or with theriomorphic paw decoration dates back to the late Classical period and became very popular during the Hellenistic period, when the animal protome was also added, establishing a pattern that remained unaltered throughout the Imperial age (Montanari 2007, pp. 117-119). In particular, our trapezophoron corresponds to a type 4 of Christopher F. Moss’s classification, in which the feline paw is paired with a protome that, in most known cases is griffon-like, or otherwise anthropomorphic (Heros, Silenes, Telamons, generic female or male figures) or theriomorphic (lions, panthers, birds, dogs or goats; Moss 1988, pp. 20-26).  Less common, however, is the palmette stemming from a vase motif, which is more frequent in the decoration of fictile and marble antefixes (Anselmino 1977, pp. 120 ff; Pensabene, Sanzi di Mino 1983, pp. 34 ff). Closely relatable examples can be found in some marble antefixes in the courtyard of Palazzo Mattei datable to the second century CE (Carinci 1982, pp. 300 ff, nos. 141, 144) and with two trapezophorons in the National Roman Museum (MNR, invv. 746; 747; Fileri 1985, pp. 118-119), particularly with regard to the ‘acanthus’ vase handles. There are also certain similarities with the two trapezophorons in the Vatican collections presenting a single paw surmounted by a lion protome and a central kantharos from which an acanthus element emerges (Cortile Belvedere, Sala Ottagona, invv. 880, 881).These Vatican pieces, however, are considered to be modern works of the late eighteenth century inspired by mid-first century CE models (Spinola 1996, p. 76, PO 5,6).

The crack of the lower edge allows us to recognise CCXXXXII as the other side of the presently considered trapezophoron, while slabs CCXXVI and CCXXVIII were part of a second trapezophoron with a similar subject.

The particular nature of works of decorative craftsmanship, characterised by ornamental details that remained in use over long periods of time without substantial changes, makes it difficult to date this particular piece; however, the refined execution and the abovementioned comparable examples allow us to generically date it to the second century CE.

Jessica Clementi