Nilo Cesarini

myminifactory

A bearded man lies half-extended, leaning his left arm on an amphora, on which runs the drapery of the robe that leaves the bust uncovered. The torso, made of basanite, appears to be the only ancient part of the work. He holds with his right hand some ears of wheat that allude to the harvest; further spikes are present on the crown that surrounds his head, while a putto sits on his legs. These iconographic motifs identify the work as the personification of the Nile, a beneficial river that gives fertile ground for crops and is a symbol of abundance. Oval hollows on the belly of the divinity allude to the presence of further putti, which confirm the identification of the work as Nile, as in traditional iconography the river divinity was usually depicted with sixteen cherubs symbolizing the sixteen cubits of water growth during the flood season. Model for the replicas of the river divinity is the prototype made in Alexandria in the second century. BC which enjoyed considerable success in the imperial age.