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LOT 0122
Roman Marble Head of a Young Woman
2ND CENTURY A.D.
15 in. (14 kg total, 38 cm high including stand).
A skilfully carved life-size marble head of a female (possibly Artemis, a Muse or an Amazon) with centrally parted hair composed of wavy strands and tied in a ponytail at the back; serene facial expression, almond-shaped eyes and small mouth with slightly parted lips; some restoration; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceEx private collection, Monaco, 1960s-1970s.
Acquired from the Monaco Fine Arts on 4th November 1992.
Private collection of Mr & Mrs Daniel, Monaco.
Acquired by the present owner from David Aaron Gallery in 2019.
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 searcher certificate number no.11569-197722.
Cf. Felletti Maj, B.M., Museo Nazionale Romano, I Ritratti, Roma, 1953; Bianchi Bandinelli, R., L'arte Romana nel centro del potere, dalle origini alla fine del II secolo d.C., Roma, 1969; Bieber, M., Ancient Copies. Contributions to the History of Greek and Roman Art, New York, 1977, p.88, pls.60-61; Fittschen K., Zanker P., Le sculture del Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna, La collezione Marsili, Comune di Bologna, Bologna, 1986; Boardman, J., Griechische Plastik. Die spätklassische Zeit, Mainz, 1998, pp.100ff.; Fuchs, W., Die Skulptur der Griechen, München, 1993, pp.221ff.; Agnoli, N., Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Palestrina, Le sculture, Roma, 2002; Vout, C., ‘Hadrian, Hellenism, and the Social History of Art’, in Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, Third Series, Vol.18, No.1, Spring-Summer 2010, pp.55-78.
FootnotesThe youthful head seems to be based on the Greek Attic Artemis Colonna type of the 4th century B.C. The composition of the head is powerful with a serene countenance, its physiognomy replete with the idealised quality characteristic of Greek classical sculpture. This classic influence is best seen in the perfect almond- shaped eyes with their sharply carved lids as well as the smooth contour of the face. The rich handling of the coiffure and the smooth quality of the face can suggest a date sometime during the Hadrianic (117 to 138 A.D.) or early Antonine periods.
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Roman Ring with Dolphin Gemstone
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
A bronze ring with expanding, rounded shoulders, the oblong bezel set with a carnelian intaglio engraved with a dolphin. 3.21 grams, 19.41 mm overall, 16.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G, USA 3 1/4, Europe 4.92, Japan 4)
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK. -
Roman Limestone Column
1st century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £169
A surviving section from a small limestone architectural pedestal column base with remains of cylindrical column to top, decorated with a collar of conjoined lozenges. 936 grams, 13.5 cm high
Acquired before 2000. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman. -
Roman Gold Necklace Element and Earring Set
2nd century A.D.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
A suite of gold and garnet jewellery, comprising a matching pair of gold earrings, each composed of a hollow crescentic body tapering to slender coiled wire terminals, a suspension loop to each shoulder, large tear-shaped cell to front with granulated border, set with a polished garnet cabochon, gold bulbs below in the form of a bunch of grapes, adorned with smaller granules and three cells set with polished garnet cabochons; the necklace elements comprising graduated beads, alternating between roughly spherical polished garnets and sheet-gold beads of various types including gusseted, biconical and tubular, two floral filigree pendants flanking a central pendant ornamented with 'plaited' and plain filigree wire with granules to the outside, finial of trefoil bulbs, central corrugated cell set with a polished garnet cabochon; mounted on a custom-made perspex display base. 435 grams total, display stand: 30 x 23.5 cm (earrings: 38 mm each)
Ex private European collection, 1970s. with Genève Enchères, 14 December 2017, Lot 999. 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.11584-199015.
Beryls, used as small pendants, and not placed horizontally, characterised Roman necklaces of 2nd century A.D. A typical example is the necklace found in the grave of Crepereia Tryphaena. The contents of the grave are dated to the Antonine age based on the sarcophagus, the inscription and the hairstyle of the doll it contains.
