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_900x900.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Dionysus")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Dionysus")
.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Dionysus")
LOT 0117
Roman Marble Head of Dionysus
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
19 in. (15.8 kg total, 48 cm high including stand).
A Roman copy of a Greek original, wearing a crown of leaves and corymbs, hair falling in straight lines underneath the diadem; full beard composed of four rows of thick tufts with drilled holes; slightly open mouth with a fleshy lower lip; low cheekbones and hollow cheeks; large almond-shaped eyes with lachrymal duct; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceEx private French collection, early 1960s.
Acquired by the current owner in 2011.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna.
Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.129940.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11791-206395
See McDowall K.A., The so-called 'sardanapalus, in Journal of Hellenic Studies, 1904; Gasparri C., in LIMC III, 1,1986, s.v.Dionysos, 414-421; La Rocca E. (ed.), Il sorriso di Dioniso, Roma 2010; La Rocca E., Hermes-Thoth e Dioniso redentore, Dall'Egitto dei Tolomei al tardo- antico. Studí sul mosaico della Casa di Aion a Neo Paphos, Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma, Supplementi, 28, 2021.
FootnotesThe head finds comparable parallels with a series of herms representing philosophers, lyricists and the god Hermes, deriving from Greek originals of the 5th century B.C. The reworking of these typologies in a cultured environment is due to the diffusion of sculptures linked to the idea of speculative otium and withdrawal into the bucolic world of which Dionysus was guardian and protector. The typology of the representation associates him with the concept of continuous rebirth and fertility of nature, typical of Dionysus Lenaeus.
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LOT 0117
Roman Marble Head of Dionysus
Estimate £30,000 - 40,000€34,800 - 46,400 (for guidance only)$40,500 - 54,000 (for guidance only)
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Roman and Other Glass and Stone Bead Group
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a quantity of small beads, in mixed shapes, colours and materials; each pierced for stringing. 81 grams total, 2-18 mm
UK gallery, early 2000s. -
Roman Bronze Lioness Figure
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Modelled in the round crouching with one forepaw held aloft, stylised detailing to the animal's coat, head, face and paws. 130 grams, 54 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. -
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Large Roman Silvered Bronze Patera
1st century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
With a deep bowl and flat-section handle with integral loop; shallow concentric grooves around the exterior of the neck, rolled rim, concentric rings to the underside; finished on a lathe; cracked and split. 903 grams, 33 cm wide
Acquired in Europe before 1993. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11788-206494.
In contrast to their elaborate counterparts, paterae such as this were likely carried as part of the standard kit of Roman soldiers, used as a general cooking and eating utensil. The regular heap up (sarcina) of the legionaries is well represented on the reliefs of the Trajan column. It was composed of a T stake (furca), to which a linen bag (sacculus) was hung, as well as the leather haversack for 15-20 days supplies (trinum nundinum) and personal effects, a pot (ollula), a cup (patera), and a basket for work on the fields.
