A Roman Marble Portrait Head of a Woman, Severan Period, circa 220 A.D.

No reserve

UK: Greenford Park WarehouseVAT reduced rateNo Reserves

Auction Closed

December 3, 04:39 PM GMT

Estimate

15,000 - 25,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

A Roman Marble Portrait Head of a Woman

Severan, circa 220 A.D.

turned to her right, with full features, eyes with incised irises and drilled crescentic pupils, and incised eyebrows, her centrally parted hair gathered in an oval plait on the back of the head and falling in long curls over the ears.

Height 28 cm.

Nils Ebbessøn Astrup (1901-1972), Oslo, acquired in the 1950s/1960s on the advice of Hans Peter L'Orange (1903-1983), founder and director of the Norwegian Institute in Rome

Norwegian private collection, Oslo, by descent from the above

by descent from the above to the present owner

Published

Siri Sande, Greek and Roman Portraits in Norwegian Collections, Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia, vol. 10, Rome, 1991, p. 84f., no. 69, pl. 68

For three related examples in the Musei Capitolini in Rome see K. Fittschen and P. Zanker, Katalog der römischen Porträts in den Capitolinischen Museen, vol. 3, 1983, pp. 98. 100. 102, nos. 142. 146. 149, pls. 169. 175. 178.

For other marble sculpture from the Nils Astrup Collection sold at Sotheby’s see New York, June 8th, 2011, no. 42 ("Pseudo-Seneca"), June 3rd, 2015, nos. 28 (bearded head of Dionysos) and 50 (a Julio-Claudian portrait bust of a man), and London, July 2nd, 2019, no. 247 (a portrait head of Aristotle).