Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0136
Over Life-Size Gallo-Roman Limestone Head of an Athlete
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
13 3/4 in. (16.35 kg total, 35 cm including stand).
With short hair, cut and combed in regular lines, furrowed brow and wide deep-set eyes, small fleshy mouth, intense and powerful expression; weather-worn surface; mounted on a later 18th century stand.
Provenance
Acquired in the 1930s.
From the family collection of Mr F. Morand, France.
From the M.J. collection, Wales, UK.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12070-217746.
Literature
Cf. Powell, T.G.E., The Art of Roman Gaul, London, 1961, fig.104.
Footnotes
The head shows a late Roman appearance in its features and hairstyle. The expression, the short thick neck and the style of the hair combined with the somewhat uncouth and forceful expression may indicate a local Gallo-Roman character.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0136
Over Life-Size Gallo-Roman Limestone Head of an Athlete
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
RELATED LOTS
-
Romano-British Mixed Pottery Sherd Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Including a bell-shaped amphora, bowl with carinated profile and other items. 4.6 kg total, 6.5-40 cm
Found UK. From the collection of a late East Anglian teacher and antiquarian who retired to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, UK. He amassed a large collection of objects between the 1960s-1980s. -
Roman 'Pompeii Red' Fresco Wallplaster
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Fragment of wall plaster with rendered surface painted red with yellow and white detailing to the edge; impression of timber laths to the reverse; old inked inscription: 'SIDI BOU ALI' to verso. 234 grams, 11.3 cm
Acquired early 1900s. Swiss family collection. Acquired at Birmingham Coin & Antiquities Fair, circa 2004. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK.
The ancient city of Sousse (today Sidi Bou Ali) was the Roman centre of Ulssipira, famous for its wonderful mosaics. However, as across Roman Tunisia, remains of frescoed houses have also been preserved. The ‘Pompeian red’ was used for walls as well as columns, such as those in the ‘house of the red columns’, Acholla, where the peristyle was formed by a narrow courtyard with stuccoed columns painted red. -
Roman Gold Marriage Ring with Clasped Hands and Eagle
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Bifid form with parallel bands and lentoid bezels, one with low-relief clasped hands motif, the other with a bird holding a frond. 3.45 grams, 17.96 mm overall, 15.19 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G 1/2, USA 3 1/2, Europe 5.55, Japan 5)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
