ABSTRACT
One of the most striking objects in Newcastle University’s Shefton Collection is a colossal Egyptian red porphyry right foot, approximately three times life size. The provenance of the foot is unknown and the lack of any direct parallels means that a full understanding of its function is difficult to ascertain. This chapter outlines what is known about the history of ownership of the foot and discusses the possibility that the foot might either be an eighteenth-century pastiche or perhaps a restoration of an incomplete Roman object. Questions about the possible function of the foot are also explored through an examination of the significance of Egyptian red porphyry in the Roman Empire and its connection with Rome’s emperors. Several explanations of the foot’s function have been suggested and the possibility that it might be part of a colossal statue or an elaborate votive are discussed before an alternative explanation based around its affinity with items associated with the cult of Sarapis is proposed.
