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LOT 0184
Roman Bronze Figure of Apollo
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.
7 1/2 in. (700 grams, 19 cm).
Standing nude with a cloak draped over his left shoulder and fastened on the right shoulder, baring the weight on his right foot with the left leg bent at the knee with the heel raised; the right arm extended and holding the remains of an attribute, the left arm bent at the elbow; his head turned slightly to the right with long luxurious hair swept back and gathered at the nape of the neck; set on a circular socle base; stripped and repainted.
ProvenancePrivate collection, France, acquired at Mythes ét Légendes, 18 Place des Vosges, Paris, 14 May 1980.
Anonymous sale: ex Jean Roudillon, Hôtel des Ventes de Belfort SARL, 22 October 2011, no.9.
with Christie's, London, 2 April 2014, no.91.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S0007570.
Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.132675 dated 7 December 2011.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12360-226681.
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, XVIII supplément à ‘Gallia’, Paris, 1965, no.17, same type without cloak; see also Reinach, S., Répertoire de la statuaire grecque et romaine, Paris, 1897, p.83, nos.3-4, 84, no.8, for the archaic prototypes.
FootnotesThe figurine is of archaic style; it is probably a provincial work of a Gallo-Roman workshop. The prototype can be seen in the Apollo of Naxos in the Berlin Museum. The style of posture and movement can also be seen in the archaic bronzes of Falterona, the Louvre and Athens.
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LOT 0184
Roman Bronze Figure of Apollo
Estimate £15,000 - 20,000€17,400 - 23,200 (for guidance only)$20,250 - 27,000 (for guidance only)
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Roman Knuckle Bones Gaming Piece Pair
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Astragalus bones, one pierced with incised panel. 8.92 grams total, 30-33 mm
Acquired 1980-2000. Ex property of an American collector. -
Roman Silver Lunar Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Comprising a discoid crescent-shaped pendant with openwork decoration. 1.1 grams, 19 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Hellenistic or Roman Bronze Grotesque Figure
Alexandria, 1st century B.C.-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Modelled standing nude in a contorted pose with left arm raised and right hand on the hip, head tilted; mounted on a custom-made stand. 257 grams total, 11.5cm including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Rolland (p.104) notes that such grotesque 'pygmy' figures may have been intended as caricatures. They were already produced in Alexandria since the 1st century B.C., and considered to be charms against the evil eye. Beautiful statuettes of this typology are well known from the Roman period, perhaps produced in the workshops of Alexandria, Egypt, on the occasion of the visit of the Emperor Caracalla.
