Ancient Greek Hellenistic Bronze Votive Plaque with Bust of Aphrodite 300BC For Sale

Ancient Greek Hellenistic Bronze Votive Plaque with Bust of Aphrodite
c. 3rd–1st century BC

As with all items offered by Georgian Bay Antiquities, this artifact is guaranteed authentic and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity detailing material, typology, dating, and cultural attribution.

Object: Votive plaque / appliqué with bust of Aphrodite
Material: Bronze (copper alloy)
Date: Hellenistic period, c. 300–100 BC
Cultural Attribution: Ancient Greek world
Size: approx. 42 mm
Form: Cast plaque with high-relief bust

This small bronze votive plaque presents a molded frontal bust attributed to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and protective favor. In Hellenistic religious life, Aphrodite’s cult was widespread across the Greek world and the eastern Mediterranean, and devotional objects were commonly produced in small, personal formats meant to be worn, mounted, or dedicated at shrines.

The piece belongs to the long tradition of Hellenistic and early Roman-period bronze devotional imagery where divine figures were rendered in simplified, iconic form for mass use. Rather than functioning as a portrait, the bust operates as a sacred presence: a portable visual invocation of the goddess, suitable for household worship, personal protection, or dedication in fulfillment of a vow.

The compact scale and strong relief are consistent with bronze votive and appliqué production methods, and the surface wear and patination reflect long burial and age. This is the kind of object that would have circulated in everyday religious practice, bridging private devotion and public sanctuary culture.

Authentication: The plaque exhibits correct ancient bronze casting characteristics, age-consistent wear, and stable patination. No evidence of modern machining, fresh tooling, or artificial aging is observed.

Museum parallels and references (exact numbers)

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Plaque with Bust of Aphrodite, inventory no. 85.10.A.
The British Museum, Bronze figure of Aphrodite stooping to remove her sandal, museum number 1865,0711.1.
The British Museum, “Satala Aphrodite” bronze head from a cult statue, museum number 1873,0820.1.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bronze appliqué/statuette of Aphrodite (shows the same bronze devotional/appliqué category), object number 2021.40.56.

Academic references: John Boardman, Greek Sculpture The Hellenistic Period; museum collection catalogues for Hellenistic bronze devotional objects and Aphrodite iconography.

Condition: Good archaeological condition. Intact form with strong relief remaining. Surface wear and patination consistent with age. No restoration.

4-2