Focus on The Orator and explain the Purpose.
The Aulus Metellus statue was made for the purpose of a votive offering. A votive offering is an object given to any god of a panhellenic religion as payment for the successful fulfillment of a prayer. This object could be anything from a handmade effigy or, if the giver of the offering is wealthy, a commissioned statue. This idea of the statue being a votive offering is debated, and some historians say the statue was an honorary statue intended for public viewing rather than an offering to the gods. Honorary statues weren’t just for decoration of a public place, but they had political and social function.There is some debate about the family that originally owned the statue and their socioeconomic status. Spivey and other sources state that the Aulus Metellus statue belonged to a wealthy family due to the statue being made out of expensive materials (i.e. bronze) and the level of craftsmanship present in the statue. Shiell states the Aulus Metellus statue belonged to a more average Roman family.
votive offering panhellenic