2nd-3rd century AD. A bronze statuette depicting a naked winged Cupid in a dynamic pose, right arm raised up in a greeting gesture, left arm brought to the chin, legs apart, with the right leg extended in a dynamic movement; head with well-sculpted facial details, curly hair covering the ears, a top-knot sits on his head, the statuette may have formed part of a larger group centred around a statuette of Venus; on a custom-made stand. See Stead, I., Excavations at Winterton Roman Villa and other Roman Sites in North Lincolnshire. Department of the Environment Archaeological Reports 9 in HMSO, 1976, for similar specimens.156 grams total, 90mm (3 1/2"). From the collection of Mr & Mrs Adie, Warwickshire, UK; acquired between 1965-1980; thence by descent. Cupid (Eros for the Greeks) was the god of mighty love, the overwhelming force that pushes and attracts men and women. The Greeks depicted Eros as a young man of beautiful appearance, naked, often armed with a bow and arrows with which he pierced the hearts of mortals and gods with love. According to tradition, Eros was taken by his mother, Aphrodite, before the gods: Zeus immediately understood what and how much damage the divine boy would cause, and advised the mother to suppress him. The goddess could not obey, and instead hid the baby in a wood, where he survived by feeding on the milk of wild beasts. He was still very young when he first crafted a bow and arrows, practising until he became an infallible archer.