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LOT 0840
Roman Marble Eagle Head
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
9 in. (1.88 kg total, 23 cm high including stand).
Carved facing left, with deep-set hooded eyes and a hooked beak, stylised feather detailing to the head; mounted on a custom-made display base.
ProvenanceEx Simmons Gallery, London E11, UK.
Ex London collection, 1980s-1990s.
Cf. for a similar colossal marble eagle Bell, G.L., Amurath to Amurath, London, 1911, fig.3, p.10; Mendel, G., Catalogue des sculptures grecques, romaines et byzantines, Constantinople, 1914, nos.1135 (1949), vol.III, p.369; Reinach, S., Répertoire de la statuaire grecque et romaine, Tome III, 1920; Bertelli, G., ‘Amari usque ad mare, Acceptus e magister David a Siponto: nuove acquisizioni’, in Eurasiatica 4, 2016, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, p. 67, fig. 6.
FootnotesIn the Greco-Roman world, the eagle was the symbol of Zeus. It is most probable that this eagle flanked a statue of the god. A story is bruited abroad to the effect that Zeus, wanting to determine the centre of the world, let eagles fly of equal speed from west and east. The birds, flying in opposite directions, met at Pytho and that marked the central point of the whole world.
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Roman Bronze Horse Statuette
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Modelled with naturalistic detailing; wearing a saddle and head collar. 13 grams, 34 mm wide
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection. -
Roman Bronze Tortoise Figure
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Modelled in the round with semi-naturalistic detailing, head raised and turned slightly to the right. 30.1 grams, 37 mm
Ex UK private collection. Acquired at the London Coin Fair in the early 1990s. Property of a Buckinghamshire, UK, gentleman. -
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Roman Bronze Figure of Jupiter as Zeus Brontaios
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Depicted nude in contrapposto pose, his weight on his right leg, the left leg flexed and advancing; the hair and beard formed as a dense mass of curls; a full beard complementing his luxuriant curls; slender, muscular body with defined anatomical details; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 384 grams total, 15.5 cm high including stand
with Münzen und Medaillen AG, Basel, 02.1976, lot 51. Acquired in Europe in 2017. Accompanied by copies of relevant pages of Münzen und Medaillen AG. 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 search certificate number no.11792-206488.
The prototype of Zeus Brontaios, or Zeus the Thunderer, has been attributed to a Greek original by sculptor Leochares, c. 370-360 B.C. The statue was realised by Leochares to celebrate the founding of Megalopolis, in 371 B.C. The god would have held a sceptre in his left hand and cradled his thunderbolt in his right.
