Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0138
Roman Marble Janiform Herm Head of Ariadne and a Maenad
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
11 3/8 in. (12.6 kg, 29 cm high).
Carved architectural element depicting a double herm comprising: a diademed female bust with long wavy hair framing the face, slender features with small mouth and raised lids; the other side with a diademed female with hair arranged in neat curls on the forehead, large eyes and small mouth, taenia shown on each side of the neck; base reworked with drilled sockets for mounting.
Provenance
Old collection, acquired in the 1970s.
Acquired by inheritance from Mr N.S.
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 no.12084-211893.
Literature
Cf. Mansuelli, G.A., Galleria degli Uffizi, Le Sculture, Parte l, Roma, 1958, pp. 159-160, n. L32; Sciarra, B., Brindisi. Il Museo Archeologico Comunale, Brindisi, 1976, p. 8, n. 34; Bonanno, A., Un gruppo diermette decorative a Malta, in ArchCl 29, 1977, pp.399-410, tavv. LL2-LL6, specialmente p. 402; Faedo L., Camposanto Monumentale di Pisa, Le Antichità, ll, a cura di Salvatore Settis, Modena, 1984, p.178, n. 81; Moreno, P., Viacava, A., I Marmi Antichi della Galleria Borghese, Roma, 2003, pp. 767-168, n.138.
Footnotes
The head with elaborately curled hair and diadem could represent Ariadne, as shown by comparisons with a fragment of a two-faced herm with bearded Dionysus and Ariadne preserved in the Antiquarium Ostiense, dated to the lmperial Roman age. The heads could be interpreted either as Ariadne and a Maenad, or as two Maenads being characterised by the diadem and long taeniae. The association of these figures with Dionysus is congruent with the typology of the herm, which refers to rural places and theatres. Numerous herms in fact attest that this type of sculpture was used in contexts linked to Dionysus and his sacred procession as well as, obviously, the representation of Ariadne, his female partner and double.
The example fits into the class of domestic sculpture with a decorative function, mostly used to adorn peristyles and viridaria; the type placed at the crown of columns and pillars is quite documented, in particular in the version with the head of Dionysus contrasted with that of Ariadne
or a Maenad.
VETTING:
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 0138
Roman Marble Janiform Herm Head of Ariadne and a Maenad
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000€23,200 - 34,800 (for guidance only)$27,000 - 40,500 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Silver Crossbow Brooch
3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
With round-section crossbar and collared knop finials, deep D-section bow with vertical band of triangles extending along the outer face and onto the rectangular footplate with chamfered long edges; separate collared knop above the bow; hinged pin housed in catchplate to reverse. 16.5 grams, 60 mm
On the European art market before 2000. Ex collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman; acquired on the UK art market.
This early form of crossbow brooch shows its origins in the P-shaped bow brooch type. -
Roman Bronze Key Ring Group
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Group of two rings each with angled ward and bits to the forward edge. 22.94 grams total, 31-34 mm
Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Inked Wooden Tablet for a Contract Between Bassus and Neronianus
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £15,600
A reused tablet with a recessed panel on one side, the last tablet of a legal document which consisted of two (diptychon) or three tablets (triptychon); ten black inked lines of New Roman cursive script, the end of a record of a transaction in formulaic legal language, probably a sales contract, between the buyer (emptor) Bassus and a person called Neronianus; traces of text (perhaps in rustic capitals) to the reverse. 40 grams, 15.1 x 13.9 cm
From an important London collection since 1975. Accompanied by a collection of two 1970s photographs of the the tablet.
The contract follows standard Roman legal formulae.
