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_900x900.jpg "Roman Marble Head of a Woman")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Marble Head of a Woman")
.jpg "Roman Marble Head of a Woman")
LOT 0067
Roman Marble Head of a Woman
1ST-EARLY 3RD CENTURY A.D.
9 5/8 in. (2.95 kg total, 24.5 cm high including base).
Carved in the round with youthful features; large eyes with thickened eyelids, especially the lower lid, well-defined eyebrows forming two long arcs; small mouth with fleshy lips and deep corners; the hair parted at the centre and forming two symmetrical bands of wavy locks leaving the ears uncovered, secured with a ribbon and gathered at the nape of the neck to a small braid with a low hanging knot; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
Provenance19th-20th century collection, based on the stand.
Ex German collection, 1980s.
with HVMC Auctions, Monaco, 12 May 2021, lot 99.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11761-202174.
Cf. Scarpati, G., Ritratto Femminile, in Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Le Collezioni, a cura di Carlo Gasparro e Rita, Paris/Milan, 2013, n.131, p.193; Fileri, E., Ritratto Femminile, in Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Le Collezioni, a cura di Carlo Gasparri e Rita, Paris/Milan, 2013, n.266, p.366.
FootnotesThe arrangement of the hair is characteristic of female portraits of the late Antoninian to early Severan age. The head finds comparisons with a female portrait in the National Roman Museum, depicting an elderly woman of the Antoninian age, and with another female portrait in the National Roman Museum, dated to the third decade of the 3rd century A.D., reworked in the Tetrarchic Period, with the hairstyle falling within the so-called 'Nest Frisur' of the Severan age.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
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Roman Danubian Lead Plaque with Sol Invictus
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Displaying a figural scene in relief showing the Dioscuri, wearing a crested helmet and raising the right arm in salutation; the bust of Sol wearing a radiate crown and the horned bust of moon surmounted by a crescent, border to the perimeter representing two snakes; the inner border with seven six-pointed stars, a large dolphin-like creature swimming to the right, to the left a group of round objects; to the right of the left hand rider, a three-legged offering table with three candle-sticks; between the sun and the moon a standing female deity dressed in peplos and chiton, facing right with her right arm raised in front of her; behind the moon a bird waddling to left; to the right of the left hand rider, a cockerel; beneath the horse’s hooves two prostrate figures lying face down, head to the right and left, the right figure with the left knee bent in supplication; at the centre, between the two horsemen, a standing female deity in long chiton (Helen of Troy); behind the right horse, a standing male figure facing left with his right hand raised in salutation, wearing a knee length tunica, short boots and a heavy cloak; on the lower margin a small prostrate figure with head to the right, limbs extended, a twin-handled wine cup, a standard surmounted by a lamp, a figure hanging head down from a stunted tree and a lion stalking left. 61 grams, 70 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
The plaque contains a complex iconography of divine figures and symbols, probably associated with Thracian or Dacian beliefs of the Lower Danube region, but also with the Greek myth of the divine twins Castor and Pollux (the Dioscuri), an important element of Roman religion since its origins, here mixed with the cult of the Danubian rider. Presiding over the whole scene is usually the Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun-god) and his sister the Moon (Selene). -
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Roman Bronze Standing Ram
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Modelled in the round with semi-naturalistic detailing, standing facing with detailing to the face, horns, tufted coat and hooves. 73 grams, 50 mm
‘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 Ring with Bird
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Large disc bezel with standing bird and cross(?) within a ring, flanking discs with saltire in a ring. 2.87 grams, 23.05 mm overall, 20.44 mm internal diameter (approximate size British U, USA 10, Europe 22.52, Japan 21)
Ex Garcia collection, France, 1990s.
The bird probably represents the dove symbolising the Holy Spirit.
