Detail of a Bronze Statuette of a Lar in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2012

Bronze statuette of a Lar
1st–2nd century A.D.


Object Details

Period: Imperial

Date: 1st–2nd century A.D.

Culture: Roman

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: Overall: 9 3/4 x 4 9/16 x 2 1/8 in. (24.8 x 11.6 x 5.4 cm)

Classification: Bronzes

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1919

Accession Number: 19.192.3


The lar familiaris was a household deity that protected the members of the family, ensuring their health and prosperity. From the time of Augustus onward, the lararium (a small shrine found in every Roman house) contained two lares, each with the same attributes of a rhyton (drinking vessel) and patera (offering dish).

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/250737