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LOT 0137
Roman Marble Head of Dionysus
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
19 in. (15.8 kg total, 48 cm high including stand).
From 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 no.12086-213624.
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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Roman Bronze Looped Figural Pendant with Phallus
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Composed of three concentric circles surmounted by a bearded figure to which is attached a suspension ring, the body of the figure engraved and ending with phallic attributes. 53 grams, 83 mm
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Roman Bronze Handle with Winged Lion and Mask
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D-section swept-curve handle, the upper end developing to the foreparts of a winged lion with forelegs bent and paws resting on the vessel's rim, wings folded to the flanks; high-relief foliage detailing to the outer face of the handle; acanthus leaf to the lower end developing to a facing bearded mask of a satyr; mounted on a custom-made stand. 452 grams total, 13 cm high (17 cm high including stand)
Acquired between 1980-1983. From the 'Empire' collection, an important UK private collection of seals.
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