A Roman Marble Portrait Bust of a Woman, late Republican/early Augustan, 2nd half of the 1st Century B.C.

wearing a tunic, her head turned slightly to the left, her mature face with dimpled chin, bow-shaped lips, upturned nose, and eyebrows carved in relief, her hair parted on the side, drawn in a broad wavy curl over the forehead, pulled back over the ears, and bound in a pointed headcloth with lappet behind, a ringlet escaping over each temple; set onto a European marble plinth and socle.

Austrian private collection, acquired in the 1970s
acquired by the present owner at auction in northern Europe in 2007

edges of ears and bust restored in painted plaster, repaired across neck with small areas of restoration along breakline, note chip to tip of headcloth and to hair above forehead, surface was covered in soot before being lightly cleaned
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.

Cf. Marella, Notizie degli Scavi, 1944-1945, pp. 29-30, fig. 4, B.M. Felletti Maj, Museo Nazionale Romano. I ritratti, Rome, 1953, no. 77, and F. Johansen, Roman Portraits: Catalogue, Copenhagen, 1994, no. 25, three female portrait heads each wearing a similar type of headcloth. For other examples on 1st Century B.C. Roman funerary reliefs see O. Vessberg, Studien zur Kunstgeschichte der römischen Republik, Leipzig, 1941, pl. XXVI,1 (with similar hairstyle to the present example) and XLIII,1.