Bronze or silver statuettes were popular across the Roman Empire, usually modelled in the shape of gods, goddesses and animals. Such statuettes could have been part of private households or placed in temples as votive offerings.
In Ancient Rome, a genius (pl. genii) was the divine character of a particular thing or individual, intangible but universal. Every place, person and household had their own genius and genii were also associated with powerful objects, such as amulets or volcanoes, or prominent concepts, such as beauty or marriage. They were understood by the Romans as responsible for maintaining the nature of things – they were the force that made the flowers bloom and kept the household organised. Traditionally, the protective spirit of every Roman household was worshiped at the family shrine. It was represented by a statuette, similar to this fine example, with a veiled head holding implements of sacrifice. Scholars have debated over how to interpret genii: Augustine related them to the Christian idea of a soul, Horace identifies the idea with numen (divinity), and alternative attempts have included forms of divine origin, ancestral ghosts, intellectual faculties or even life itself.
