Genius

C15233 Statue of a “Genius”, a minor god which could act as a personal deity or kind of “guardian angel” for a person or household or a place. The figure wears a toga and carries a “cornucopia”, or basket of plenty. It once stood on an altar, over which it was posed pouring an offering. The altar, head, arms and legs are missing. He is made of sandstone but it hasn’t been identified where the stone might be from and so this makes the piece harder to date and place. Perhaps it was locally made. The sculpture’s form is a quite standard Greek-Roman format but it is decorated with lots of native British influences, so the maker followed the Empire tradition for the form but also blended in local patterns and symbols. Scanned by Thomas Flynn on behalf of Sketchfab for the Cuming Museum.