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LOT 0130
Three Times Life-Size Roman Head of the Goddess Diana
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
28 3/8 in (99.5 kg total, 72 cm high including stand).
The goddess (Greek Artemis) with elegant features, sensual lips and deep eyes; detailed treatment of the hairstyle in transverse braids across the brow, laurel wreath with two rows of leaves resting above the forehead, an architectural element that was placed for the support of the sima of a building of great size; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceEx private Belgian collection.
with Madame Andree Mace collection.
English private collection.
Accompanied by an academic report by Prof. Neritan Ceka.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11625-199748.
See Bartman, E., Hair and the Artifice of Roman Female Adornment in American Journal of Archaeology Vol. 105, No. 1 (Jan 2001), pp.1-25, for discussion of Roman hairstyling in its social context; Fischer-Hansen, T. & Poulsen, B. (eds.), From Artemis to Diana: the goddess of man and beast. Collegium Hyperboreum and Museum Tusculanum Press, Copenhagen, 2009.
FootnotesThe upper part of the head, cut horizontally, creates a semi-circular surface, on which the rest of the hair, or an architectonic capital, may have been mounted into a T-shaped socket. The back of the head, cut perpendicularly, proves that the head was intended for architectural use, and not to be viewed in the round. This piece may have been intended as the head of a caryatid (a sculpture serving as a pilaster) or an architectural stone corbel (an architectural element placed to support the sima of a significant building).
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0130
Three Times Life-Size Roman Head of the Goddess Diana
Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
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Rock Crystal Gaming Dice Pair
Roman, 1st-4th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £338
Each a cube with incised annulets disposed 1:6, 2:4, 3:5. 1.66 grams total, 7 mm each
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Eagle with Dedication to Zeus
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
Depicted in a standing position with an erect head, the detailed claws resting on a pedestal base, folded wings and a long tail; detailed engraving of feathers, superb rendering of the beak and round eyes; Greek inscription on the front and left side of the raised square pedestal, having a square socket allowing the insertion in a staff or shaft; the inscription could be translated as: '[Ο]Ι [ΤΗ]Σ Δ[ΙΟΣ] = To Zeus / [Ε]ΤΑ[Ι]Ρ[ΕI] (?)ΡΡΑΣ = those of the association of ? ..RRAS / ΕΥΧ ΗΝ = in fulfilment of a vow'. 233 grams, 95 mm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, 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 search certificate number no.13060-248309.
In the Roman world the eagle, bird associated with the god Jupiter or Zeus (Aetos Dios = Eagle of Zeus), king of the Olympian gods, and one of his most common attributes together with thunderbolt and the long sceptre, was seen as ‘the symbol and agent of apotheosis after death’ and an eagle was released from the top of an emperor’s funeral pyre to signal the journey of the soul heavenwards. Eagles were also the principal standard of the Legions, in gold or silver, and became the military symbol for excellence. However, the eagle was not reserved only for the ruling class or for military people, but was also found on funerary altars and dedications of private citizens. As is so often the case with metal figurines, nineteen of the eagles found in Britain are from unknown contexts, but they are found at a variety of site types, including four from military sites and three from urban sites. Apart from two from villas, they do not occur at rural settlement sites or at religious sites other than the temple at Woodeaton, Oxon, where a small group of five eagle figurines was recovered (Kirk, 1949; Henig and Munby, 1973). Also of interest is the eagle figure thought to have been a sceptre terminal, which was recovered from the temple at Farley Heath, Surrey. A second sceptre terminal, identified variously as an eagle or raven, was also part of the hoard found at Willingham Fen (Bird 2007, 49 no. 81, fig. 21). -
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Dolphin
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Discoid in plan with short D-shaped nozzle, loop handle (top absent), discus with low-relief image of a dolphin; shoulder with radiating scales; base marked off with a circular groove. 46.3 grams, 89 mm
From the Lloyd and Jeanne Raport collection, Washington, D.C. and Florida, USA, formed between 1972-2000. Acquired through Bonhams, London, UK.
