A Marble Portrait Head of Antonia the Younger, Roman Imperial, reign of Claudius, circa A.D. 50

daughter of Mark Anthony and Octavia, niece of Augustus, wife of Nero Drusus and mother of Germanicus and Claudius, her centrally-parted wavy hair bound in a diadem and tied back into a plait falling over the nape of the neck; the shoulders, lower part of the plait of hair, and tip of the nose  restored in marble, the left ear rim in plaster; the lower part of the turned socle engraved in front with the collection monogram "G.M.R."

Giuseppe, Marchese Rondinini (1725-1801), Palazzo Rondinini, Via del Corso, Rome
acquired by the present owner in Switzerland in 1992

Shoulders, bottom section of hair in back, and most of nose restored in marble, edges of ears restored in plaster, small hole on top of head plugged with plaster cap, various chips and abrasions, surface was vigorously 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.

For two very closely related portraits heads of Antonia Minor see the bust formerly at Wilton House and now in the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts, inv. no. 1972.306 (A. Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, Cambridge, 1882, p. 678, no. 25; K. Polaschek, Studien zur Ikonographie der Antonia Minor, Rome, 1973, pp. 19-24, pls. 21, 4.1, and 6.1; C. Vermeule and A. Brauer, Stone Sculptures. The Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Collections of the Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Mass., 1990, no. 136, p. 148), and a bust formerly belonging to the Hon. Robert Erskine (Sotheby's, London, July 10th, 1979, no. 284). Also see K. Fittschen, Katalog der antiken Skulpturen in Schloss Erbach, Berlin, 1977, no. 18, pl. 20; the author mentions two additional portraits, one in Tripoli and the other formerly in Samos. All these heads are replicas of Antonia's first portrait type (Schlichte Typus), before she became Augusta under her grandson's rule.

On the sculpture collection of Giuseppe Rondinini (=Rondanini) and the antiquities, mostly reliefs, still extant in his Roman palace, see E. Paribeni, in L. Salerno, ed., Palazzo Rondinini, Rome, 1966, pp. 161ff., and D. Candilio and M. Bertinetti, eds., I marmi antichi del Palazzo Rondinini, Rome, 2011). Many of his sculptures were engraved with the initials "G.M.R." or "M.G.R." Most of his collection, including the famous mask of Medusa and statue of Alexander now both in the Munich Glyptothek, as well as the famous Rondanini Pietà by Michelangelo, was dispersed shortly after the Marchese's death, after having been duly recorded and priced by appraisers. Their 1807 inventory of the staircase leading to the top floor, as well as of the first room when entering the third floor, lists several heads and busts, the summary descriptions of which make it difficult to match any with the present head (see Paribeni, op. cit., pp. 313-314).