A Marble Portrait Head of the Emperor Claudius, Roman Imperial, A.D. 41-54

turned to his left, his face with prominent cheekbones and straight brows, the hair falling over the forehead and temples in rows of wavy locks, and surmounted by a wreath of oak leaves (the corona civica), the neck carved for insertion into a statue.

Auktion Galerie Helbing, Munich, Antiquitäten, Kunst- und Einrichtungsgegenstände aus österreichischem Schloßbesitz und aus anderem Besitz, June 27th-28th, 1911, p. 23, no. 458, pl. X (as Augustus)
Dr. Philipp Lederer (1872-1944), Berlin, circa 1938
Christie's, London, April 20th, 2005, no. 345, illus.

Anton Hekler, Archeologiai Ertesítö, vol. 51, 1938, p. 2, Beilage IIIb and IVb
Bernhard Schweitzer, Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Römische Abteilung, vol. 57, 1942, p. 111, B2 (repr.: Idem, Zur Kunst der Antike: Ausgewählte Schriften, vol. II, Tübingen, 1963, p. 260f, n. 53)
Vagn Poulsen, Les portraits romains, Vol. 1: République et dynastie julienne, Copenhagen, 1962, p. 94, no. 2
Klaus Fittschen, Katalog der antiken Skulpturen in Schloss Erbach, Berlin, 1977, p. 50, note 22c
Hans Jucker, "Kaiser- und Prinzenporträts als Palimpsest," Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, vol. 96, 1981, p. 268, note 95
Anne-Kathrein Massner, Bildnisangleichung. Untersuchungen zur Enstehungs- und Wirkungsgeschichte der Augustusporträts (43 v. Chr.-68 n. Chr.), Berlin, 1982, p. 136, note 754, no. 5
Arachne. Datenbank und kulturelle Archive des Forschungsarchiv für Antike Plastik Köln und des Deutsches Archäologisches Instituts, no. 53906 

as shown, left ear mostly missing, right ear, lips, and wreath chipped, surface somewhat worn, nose restored in marble, face perhaps sightly polished sometime in its modern history, left side of neck and back of head fragmentary, minor chips and abrasions
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.

Related portraits of Claudius wearing the corona civica are in the Vatican, Museo Pio Clementino, Sala rotonda, no . 242 (G. Lippold, Die Skulpturen des Vaticanischen Museums, Berlin,  vol. III.I, p. 141f, no. 551, pls. 41-42), in the Museum of Vaison-la-romaine, inv. no. 128B (E. Espérandieu, Recueil général des bas-reliefs, statues et bustes de la Gaule romaine, vol. IX, Paris, 1925, no. 6772; H.G. Niemeyer, Studien zur statuarischen Darstellung der römischen Kaiser, Berlin, 1968, p. 103, no. 78, pl. 24.4), and in the Castello Ducale at Agliè (K. Stemmer, Monumenti archeologici Tuscolani nel Castello di Agliè, 1943, p. 107, cat. no VIII a 3, pl. 72,4-5).

On the Swiss numismatist and ancient art dealer and collector Philipp Lederer, from whom Sigmund Freud acquired many of his antiquities, see M. Bieber, American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 49, 1945, p. 82, H. Cahn, Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau, vol. 32, 1946, pp. 69-73, and Chr. Tögel, Freud in Berlin, Berlin, 2006, pp. 116-118.