A
fine piece!
I wonder what
his gesture / position is. Is he "clutching
his sides laughing"?
I also wonder what the use of such a figure was. The small figures of deities are usually believed to have adorned personal shrines, lararia, etc. But was a statue of an actor simply decoration to display one's love of theatre? A souvenir from a performance or theatre or even award??
Yes, the vast majority of small figures like this show no
signs of casting seams. Unlike
fibulae, belt fittings, etc. they seem to have been made using higher
quality processes like lost wax casting instead of bi-part mould casting.
SC