1st-2nd century AD. A beautifully modelled left hand from a statue of a hero, athlete, god or an emperor; formed as a clenched fist with fine anatomical detailing; mounted on a custom-made stand. See Formigli, E., La tecnica di costruzione delle statue di Riace in Ministero dei Beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo, VI serie volume speciale, Roma, 1984, pp.107-142; Bol P. C., Antike Bronzetechnik, Monaco, 1985; Lahusen, G., and Formigli, E., Ergebnisse der kunsthistorisch-technischen Analysen von zwei römischen Grossbronzen in den Museen des Vatikan, in BMonMusPont, VIII, 1988, pp.21-53. 1.4 kg total, 21.5cm including stand (8 1/2"). Property of a London gentleman; acquired on the London art market in the 2000s; accompanied by an academic report by Dr. Raffaele D’Amato. The strong welding technique of the bronze was mastered by the craftsmen of the Graeco-Roman world; the thin construction of the bronze of this fragment is a further confirmation of its Roman origin; it is known that the Romans were able to create very thin bronze items, perhaps due to the use of high percentages of lead in the bronze alloy. Prof. Roncalli considers this trend to be linked to cheaper production costs, but also to being in better control of the thickness, a trend which represented an incentive for all the ancient techniques of bronze production. The great bronze statues of the ancients were, without exception, were built in separate parts welded together by casting. [A video of this lot is available on TimeLine Auctions website]