162
A Roman Marble Portrait Head of a Man
Height 16 inches (41 cm).
Estimate: $15,000-$20,000
Sold
$5,000
Live Auction
Antiquities and Ancient Art: A Study
Size
Height 16 inches (41 cm).
Description
A Roman Marble Portrait Head of a Man
Circa 1st Century B.C.-1st Century A.D.
Height 16 inches (41 cm).
Condition
The nose formed with modern composition. The top of the round part of the proper right cheek also with modern composite on its surface, and similar repair possibly on the bottom of the proper left ear and along a shallow incised line running from the bottom of the proper left ear toward the back of the head. An area of repair with fill on the top of the proper right ear that fluoresces under UV light. Otherwise intact as preserved; a small hole on the proper right side of the neck. The surface heavily worn with a rough texture throughout. The underside drilled, with a modern metal base.
Provenance
Provenance:
Private Collection, Europe, since 1982.
Private Collection, United States, 1990’s.
Aphrodite Ancient Art, New York, 2015 (Art of the Ancient, Vol. II, no. 8. p. 14-15).
Art Loss Register no. S00101620
Note:
Monumental is size, this veristic portrait head was commissioned for public display. Though the surface of the sculpture has been worn by the passage of time, essential facial features remain. Folds of skin around the mouth, eyes, and forehead express his mature age, while the slightly turned head conveys movement.