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LOT 0124
Over Life-Sized Roman Marble Head of a Tetrarch
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
10 5/8 in. (26.5 kg, 27 cm high).
Carved in the round with stern facial features, short curly hair and beard with light moustache; the broad brow modelled with characterful creasing, the eyebrows slightly drooping and eyes deep-set, the nose angular and small pinched mouth; possibly an emperor or a tetrarch; possibly retouched in places.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Europe.
Acquired on the European art market, 2002.
Private Swiss collection.
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.12574-232106.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Bianchi Bandinelli, R., Roma, la fine dell'arte antica, Milano, 1970, fig.76; Frel, J., Roman Portraits in the Getty Museum,Malibu, 1981, fig.93; Cf. Donati, A., Gentili, G., Costantino Il Grande, la civilta' Antica al bivio fra Occidente ed Oriente, Milano, 2005, pp.204ff.; cf. also Biscottini, P., Sena Chiesa, G., Costantino, 313 d.C., l’Editto di Milano e il tempo della tolleranza, Milano, 2012, pp.124, 179, 182, 185, 187.
FootnotesThe portrait, for style and artistic structure, can be compared with the ones of Diocletian and his colleague Maximianus Herculius, and with most of the emperors of the so-called Tetrarchic Period. Like in the portrait of Diocletian and Maximianus, this military man is portrayed with bags under his eyes and with a harsh facial expression. The wrinkles on his forehead and around his mouth show the feelings of a man engaged in difficult times. Stylistically the face presents affinity with the portrait of Diocletian or Maximianus Herculius at the Uffizi (inv.242), some elements also recall the portrait of Decius at the Musei Capitolini (inv.482). We can therefore date the artwork in the period between the second half of the 3rd century and the first decade of the 4th century A.D.
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Roman Bronze Statue of Venus Anadyomene
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Venus (Greek Aphrodite), the goddess of love, rising from the sea, standing nude and bearing the weight on her left leg; her head turned to the right with slightly downcast eyes and finely worked facial detailing; the bountiful hair arranged on top of her head with two long ringlets falling on her shoulders and her left hand holding the end of one ringlet; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 311 grams total, 14 cm including stand
Swiss private collection, 1970. Private collection, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12684-236369. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Like many other nude Venus types, the Anadyomene type was not supposed to conceal the body, but to show her naked and unashamed, arms raised, touching her tresses and exposing the goddess to the viewer. The image of a nude female emerging from the sea with wet tresses was inspired by the stories of the ancient Greek courtesan Phryne swimming nude in the sea during festivals. -
Roman Glass Phallic Amulet
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £450
Modelled in the round with applied red-glass collar, pierced through the shaft for suspension. 11.4 grams, 32 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Late Roman Hinged Lidded Pyxis
4th-5th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Sheet-bronze two-part pyxis with carinated sidewall to the base, lid with reserved octofoil on a pounced field, concentric pointillé rings; working hinge mechanism. 64 grams, 86 mm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
