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An extremely rare Ancient Roman bronze decorated strigil, dating to the 3rd Century A.D.
The strigil with long curved blade, the handle rectangular in form and profusely decorated with punched dot and elaborate silvering. The front of the handle shows a standing muscular nude figure, perhaps a pankratist, with cross-hatch motif above and below. The back of the handle depicts a running feline, again heavily silvered with cross-hatch either side.
The upper portion is perforated, originally enabling the strigil to be hung on the wall.
Strigils were ancient scrapers used to clean the body in the days before effective soaps. They are most commonly associated with the Graeco-Roman athlete, who cleaned himself using the strigil and scented oil.
Precious olive oil was used as a skin conditioner; advocates made the analogy to the treatment of leather. Dust or sand was then poured over the body. Its presumed benefits were to inhibit sweating, thereby retaining strength, and to protect the body from the effects of wind on the open pores. After exercising the athletes stripped off the oily, dirty, sweaty, and often bloody mess using a metal scraper - called a stlengis in Greek, but better known by its Latin name, strigil.1
Length: 9 1/8 inches.
Condition: Good preservation. The scraper fractured and repaired just below the handle and on the right of the blade.
Provenance: Ex. British Private collection, Ex. Munich Art Market.
References:
1 J.Herrmann, C.Kondoleon, Games for the Gods: The Greek Athlete and the Olympic Spirit, 2004, MFA, p.132
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