LOT 0168

Roman Marble Figure of Asclepius, The God of Medicine

1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

28 in. (33 kg total, 71 cm including stand).

Depicted in a contrapposto stance, detailed torso with well-defined musculature, indicative of the idealised human form, carefully rendered drapery cascading over the figure's left shoulder and wrapping around his lower body, the folds of the garment deeply carved; mounted on a custom-made display stand.

Ex Nicolas Koutoulakis (1910-1996), Paris and Geneva, thence by descent.
Private collection, Europe.

Accompanied by a printed copy of the Spanish cultural export licence no.1775-3178156.
Accompanied by a copy of a French passport, no.134277.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13459-260915.

This statue of Asclepius can be compared to several well-known examples housed in prestigious museums worldwide: see the Vatican Museums, Rome; the National Archaeological Museum, Athens; the British Museum, London; The Louvre, Paris; cf. Ridgway, B.S., The Archaic Style in Greek Sculpture,Princeton University Press, 1977; Stewart, A., Greek Sculpture: An Exploration, Yale University Press, 1990; Burn, L.,The British Museum Book of Greek and Roman Art, British Museum Press, 1991; Boardman, J., The Oxford History of Classical Art,Oxford University Press, 1993.

Asclepius, the god of medicine, is a pivotal figure in Greek mythology and was later adopted by the Romans. According to myth, Asclepius was the son of Apollo and the mortal Coronis. Trained by the centaur Chiron, he became a skilled healer, so proficient that he could even bring the dead back to life. His abilities eventually led to his demise at the hands of Zeus, who struck him down with a thunderbolt to maintain the balance between mortals and gods. The Pio-Clementino Museum houses a marble statue of Asclepius in the Octagonal Courtyard. This statue, similar in pose and drapery, provides an excellent comparative study. The National Museum in Athens (Room 28) displays a marble statue of Asclepius, highlighting his characteristic bearded face and draped garments. The British Museum's Greek and Roman Antiquities collection includes a statue of Asclepius (Room 69), illustrating the common attributes and stylistic elements. The Louvre Museum, Paris, in the Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities, contains a marble statue of Asclepius in Room 17, showcasing the classical drapery and posture similar to the piece in question.