Roman Bronze Pin With The Image Of Heracles - 2nd Century - Bessonneau Collection

Roman bronze pin with the likeness of Heracles - 2nd century AD. Roman bronze pin (acus crinalis) with a verdigris patina, surmounted by a statuette of Heracles at rest. Total length: 15 cm. Height of the statuette: 4 cm. Heracles (Hercules) is depicted nude in the classic pose of the hero at rest (Herakles epitrapezios). This type is inspired by the famous model by Lysippus (4th century BC), which was widely circulated during the Roman period. Good condition. Stable patina with turquoise and dark green hues. This garment pin was used to fasten draped clothing or elaborate hairstyles. The representation of Heracles also conferred a protective (apotropaic) function. 2nd century AD. Similar examples are held in various museums. See the Louvre's copy under inventory number C 743. Provenance: formerly in the Julien Bessonneau collection. Julien Bessonneau (1842-1916), born into a wealthy industrial family, significantly expanded his linen and hemp weaving factories, becoming the leading industrialist in Angers in the 1870s. On the eve of the First World War, his businesses employed approximately one in sixteen Angers residents. Like many business leaders of his time, he established social programs, including a sports club that would become SCO Angers, and contributed to the growth of the aeronautics industry with the famous Bessonneau hangars, which were widely used during the war. He owned several prestigious residences: the Château des Brosses near Saint-Clément-de-la-Place, the Château de Mûrs south of Angers, a large private mansion in the center of Angers, and a Parisian residence on Rue de Constantine. A great collector, he amassed a vast art collection: paintings, decorative arts, sculptures, African and Oceanic objects, and numerous archaeological pieces. His post-mortem inventory in 1916 revealed hundreds of antique objects (Cypriot, Greek, Phoenician, Gallo-Roman vases, etc.). His purchases are documented by numerous invoices from specialist dealers. After his death, neither his heirs nor his company continued to expand this collection. A major sale in 1956 dispersed a portion of the works.