Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0143
Roman Marble Head of Euripides
2ND CENTURY A.D.
9 7/8 in. (7.46 kg, 25 cm).
An impressive carved herm of the tragic author of the tragic author Euripides, portrayed as an elderly man with full beard and long hair forming compact, slightly wavy strands, radiating from a single point at the back of the head and combed forwards over the forehead; heavy brow and small mouth; cracked and repaired.
Provenance
English private collection, acquired in the late 1970s/early 1980s.
David Cambridge, Cheltenham.
with Galerie Chenel, Paris, acquired from the above in 1998.
French private collection, acquired from the above in 1999/2000.
Ancient Marbles, Classical Sculpture and works of art; Sotheby's, London, 13 June 2016, no.49.
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.12191-222443.
Literature
Cf. for the famous copy in Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli see Gasparri, C., (ed.), Le sculture Farnese, vol.2, 2009, pp.32ff., no.14, pl.14; cf. Richter, G.M.A., The Portraits of the Greeks, Vol. I, London, 1965, pp.133-140, illus.717-767, for an overview of the known ancient copies of the portrait of Euripides; among them we remember the one of the Getty Museum (inv. no.79.AA.133), a Roman copy from Lesbos dated at 2nd century A.D., in Antonaccio, C. M. ‘Style, Reuse, and Context in a Roman Portrait at Princeton,’ in Archaeologischer Anzeiger 3, (1992), pp.414-452, p.449, no.30.
Footnotes
Euripides was a classical Athenian playwright and one of the three great tragedians of ancient Greece, alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles. Born in 480 B.C., his work is renowned for its complex characters and psychological depth, often exploring the darker aspects of human nature and societal norms. Euripides' plays, such as Medea, The Bacchae, and Hippolytus, are marked by their innovative use of mythological themes to comment on contemporary issues.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0143
Roman Marble Head of Euripides
Estimate £18,000 - 24,000€20,880 - 27,840 (for guidance only)$24,300 - 32,400 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Bronze Crossbow Brooch
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
With three faceted knops to the crossbar, the upper one with beaded collar, and pierced moulding to the upper face, deep bow, stepped junction with foot, trapezoidal foot with ring-and-dot motifs and integral catch; hinged pin to reverse; Keller Type 4. 56 grams, 88 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Late Roman Glass Pendant with Helios Apollo on Quadriga
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Discoid in plan with integral loop, impressed design of Helios-Apollo in his quadriga chariot. 1.4 grams, 21 mm
Collected from 1970-1999. From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK. -
.jpg)
Roman Marble Head of a Young Man
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Worked in high-relief with hairstyle typical of the transitional period from the Consulate to the Empire; oval face with a prominent forehead, oval eyelids and clearly defined lines around the eyes; hair arranged in vertical lines combed back from the forehead; pronounced lips, typical rendering of the wide auricles; the lower part of the tunic visible with a well defined round edge around the neck; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 5.94 kg total, 22.5 cm high including stand
Acquired from Gallery Gryphos, Munich, 1992. European private collection. 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.11996-211878.
The head was probably pertinent to a series of funerary family portraits. It has realistic modelling of male features, which speaks of a portrait in reduced dimensions or a reference to a well-known person in the environment where it was exhibited. The portrait is worked only on the front, leaving the back, as well as the lower part of the sculpture, roughly treated.
