Romano-British Bronze Bearded Bust

The hound sitting on a flat lid with a loop to the rear, muscular body and a long, slender snout, right front leg raised (now absent). 48.1 grams, 39 mm



Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.

Comprising an elegantly carved lower part of the calf and foot, a detailed rendering of the toes; the proportions suggesting that the subject was a child or a young woman; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 771 grams total, 15 cm high including stand



Nicolas Koutoulakis (1910-1996), thence by descent. Ex Galerie Dominique Thirion, Brussels, 1990s. Private collection of Mr K.A., France. with Kallos Gallery, London, UK. 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 a search certificate number no.13010-246748.

The foot was a prominent feature on sculptures: more susceptible to weathering and the ravages of time than a head or a torso, the fragments that survive are often badly damaged. It is also possible that this piece belonged to a sculpture created via the acrolith technique, in which the sculptor focused his attention solely on the unclothed parts of the figure, which were made from a more valuable material than the rest of the piece.

Including advancing rear legs of a lion, profile bust, Minerva with spear and other types; each supplied with a museum-quality impression. 3 grams total, 8-12 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.