Wolf mask for bronze fountain - copy of the heads of the roman ships of Nemi

The bronze furnishings of the Ships of Nemi, Lupi and lions:
they are decorations of the beams' heads with zoomorphic heads (Lupi and Leoni), from the first ship, in fused Bronze, with touch-ups by hand to chisel and chisel, the felines (lions and panther) adorned the main transversal structures, the wolves those longitudi- nal. The lions show a more gentle appearance, the most ferocious wolves: the grinding attitude, the tense muscles with the small lowered ears, give these animals a proud beauty, exalted by the use of bronze. The mobile ring between the teeth, apparently from mooring, had only ornamental function or to hang garlands.
Period: age of Caligula (37 - 41 AD).

The Navi di Nemi are two Roman imperial ships attributable to the emperor Caligula, sunk at the bottom of Lake Nemi, recovered in an archaeological undertaking conducted from 1928 to 1932. The recovery provided one of the most important contributions to the knowledge of Roman naval technique. Unfortunately, the two boats, unique in importance and state of preservation, burn completely the night of May 31, 1944, during the retreat of the German army from the territories surrounding Rome.