A Marble Head of Herakles, Roman Imperial, circa late 1st Century A.D, on Roman marble shoulders, circa mid 2nd Century A.D., the ensemble composed and restored by Lambert Sigisbert Adam (1700-1759)

the head based on a Hellenistic version of a Greek work of the 4th Century B.C., turned to his left, with long moustache, full divided beard, slightly parted lips, and deep-set eyes, his hair radiating from the crown in rows of overlapping curls, swept up above the forehead, and bound in a thick twisted diadem; the bust, probably originally of an emperor, clad in a tunic fastened with a circular brooch on the right shoulder and fringed mantle falling from the left shoulder.

Cardinal Melchior de Polignac (1661-1742), excavated by him in Rome between 1723 and 1732
the sculptor and restorer Lambert Sigisbert Adam (1700-1759), Rome and Paris, received from the above as payment for his restoration work on the Cardinal's collection (sold at auction as part of Adam's estate circa 1763)
French private collection, Versailles

Lambert Sigisbert Adam, Recueil de sculptures grecques et romaines, Paris, 1755, pl. 55, as "L'empereur Commode, marbre de Paros, 2 pieds, 2 pouces" (http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/arachne/images/image.php?file=BOOK-collectionpolignac-0058_188.jpg&width=600&height=1000_)

The shoulders are very weathered and repaired from two large fragments across the proper right shoulder down to the proper left side of the plinth (itself mostly restored). Several areas of drapery once restored in marble are now missing. A triangular area on the lower part of the drapery above the plinth is covered in what appears to be cement, as is the entire back of the shoulders. The head is in good condition, slightly weathered overall, more so over the forehead, with most of the original modeling and details still quite legible. The nose is abraded and chipped.
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.

The present head of Herakles (of Vatican/Albani type) is only known from two other Roman copies: the statue of Herakles holding the infant Telephos in the Vatican Museums, Galleria Chiaramonti, inv. no. 1314 (B. Andreae, ed., Museo Chiaramonti. Bildkatalog der Skulpturen des Vatikanischen Museums, vol. I, 2, Berlin, 1995, pls. 670-673; http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/20076), and the double herm of Herakles and Hebe in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, inv. no. 01.8197 (M.B. Comstock and C.C. Vermeule, Sculpture in Stone. The Greek, Roman and Etruscan Collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, 1976, no. 216; http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/2907). For the type see S. Kansteiner, Herakles. Die Darstellungen in der Grossplastike der Antike, Cologne, Weimar, and Vienna, 2000, pp. 49-53, and 133.