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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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LOT 0124
Over Life-Sized Roman Marble Head of a Tetrarch
Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,100
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Roman Glass Cup with Piece Missing
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Aqua glass drum-shaped jar with waisted rim and pontil base; cracked and one piece absent. 34 grams, 68 mm high
Audrey Davies, Astarte Gallery, London, UK, 1986. Ex private UK collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Bronze ROMA Openwork Brooch
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
The discoid body formed as an openwork monogram ROMA in Latin letters, the M and A ligated, the O formed by the brooch frame itself; ROMA also a palindrome for AMOR. 12.5 grams, 34 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
When viewed from the default side, RMA + the circle of the brooch form a monogram for ‘Roma’. Roma refers to both the city and its divine personification, the Dea Roma. When RMA is read from right to left (or the brooch is viewed from the opposite side), the letters form a monogram for ‘AMOR’, the Latin name for Cupid, the god of love. The phrase pertains to Roma-Amor, a widely recognised palindrome espousing Roman wordplay in the ancient times. -
Roman Bone Gaming Dice Pair
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Each cuboid with ring-and-dot markings disposed 1:6, 2:5, 3:4. 5384 grams total, 12 mm each
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.
