Byzantine lead elephant Ebay

[aligern]

Claimed 4th to 8th century

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ancient-Roman-Byzantine-Lead-Elephant-c-4th-8th-century-AD-/291153217910?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ca158976


The costume is classic Hellenistic art style.
Roy

[Jim Webster]

Intriguing. No howdah

Jim

[Imperial Dave]

not sure that the condition could be highlighted as being 'perfect' - a very subjective description!

[tadamson]

I might suspect 18th c   

The provenance would be interesting...

[aligern]

Well I looked at the seller's history and other sales and they look good. He is selling a collection and appears to be ready to stand behind its authenticity
Also, the  figure's costume is right for the period they claim and would be a lot less right for 1000 years later.

If you knew of other lead elephants from the 18th century that would place this in a typology, then that would make a case, but so far there is nothing to say that the vendor is describing this piece wrongly.

Roy