Lot 35
  • 35

A Roman Marble Centauromachy Sarcophagus Fragment, Middle Antonine, circa mid 2nd Century A.D.

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • A Roman Marble Centauromachy Sarcophagus Fragment
  • Marble
  • 11 3/4 by 26 in. 29.8 by 66 cm.
carved in relief with a fallen young warrior, a fragmentary figure of a centaur behind him.

Provenance

French private collection, Paris, acquired at auction at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris in the 1970s

Condition

Horizontal stress crack across the lower legs of the centaur at the same level as the arm of the reclining figure. Otherwise as shown.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

For the drawing of a now lost sarcophagus carved with the same scene as the present example see C. Robert, Die antiken Sarkophagreliefs. Einzelmythen. Actaeon bis Hercules, (ASR 3, 1), Berlin, 1897, cat. no. 133, pl. 41 (P. Pray Bober and R. Rubinstein, Renaissance Artists and Ancient Sculpture, London, 1986, p. 182, no. 146). There are very few known examples of sarcophagi with representations of centauromachies (see G. Koch, „Ein Sarkophag mit Kentaurenkampf in Privatbesitz,“ in Studies in Memory of Tomasz Mikocki, Warsaw, forthcoming, note 10).