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Statuette of Tyche, H1428

Explanation

  • The statuette represents a seated woman enfolded in an ample cloak. The head and hands are missing. The figure is a Roman miniature copy of the famous Hellenist sculpture of Tyche (“Chance”) from the city of Antioch in Asia Minor, a work normally attributed to the sculptor Eutychides. Thorvaldsen’s statuette is made in rock-crystal, which in ancient times was considered to be a very valuable material. The Roman author Pliny the Elder says that it was quarried in several places in the ancient world, most importantly in India and in the Alps. However, it is impossible to be certain about the source of the material in this instance.