A Marble Figure of Sophocles, Roman Imperial, 1st/2nd Century A.D., with 18th Century Restorations

the head (probably not belonging) after a Greek portrait of Sophocles of the early 4th Century B.C., standing with the weight on his right leg and wearing a himation falling from his left shoulder; the base, feet, forearms, tip of nose, eyebrows, back of head, and various drapery parts restored in marble.

James Hugh Smith Barry (1746-1801), Belmont and Marbury Hall, Northwich, Cheshire, acquired in Rome between 1772-1776, most likely from Thomas Jenkins
by descent to Lord Barrymore, Marbury Hall (Sotheby's, London, July 29th, 1946, no. 154, pl. III)
estate of Hagop Kevorkian, New York (Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, December 14th-15th, 1962, no. 263, illus.)
Armen Gregory Sarkisian (1951-2011), Denver, Colorado

James Dallaway, Anecdotes of the Arts in England, London, 1800, p. 355, no. 15 (as "Homer")
A Catalogue of Paintings, Statues, Busts, &c. at Marbury Hall, the Seat of John Smith Barry Esq. In the County of Chester, Warrington, 1819
John Preston Neale, Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, 2nd series, vol. V, London, 1829, p. 4 (as "Homer")
Comte de Clarac, Musée de sculpture antique et moderne, vol. V, Paris, 1841, p. 92, no. 2125, pl. 844 (as a "philosophe")
Salomon Reinach, Répertoire de la statuaire grecque et romaine, 3rd ed., vol. I, Paris, 1916, p. 512, no. 7
Adolf Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, Cambridge, 1882, p. 508, no. 18 (as a "poet or philosopher")
Frederik Poulsen, in Paul Arndt and W. Amelung, eds., Photographische Einzelaufnahmen Antiker Sculpturen, Serie XI, Munich, 1929, col. 28, nos. 3099 and 3105 (as Sophocles)
Georg Lippold, Die Sculpturen des Vaticanischen Museums, vol. III, I, Berlin, 1936-1956, p. 19, under no. 496
Cornelius Vermeule, "Notes on a New Edition of Michaelis: Ancient Marbles in Great Britain," American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 59, 1955, p. 142
Gisela M.A. Richter, The Portraits of the Greeks, vol. I, London, 1965, p. 127, no. 21, fig. 654 (as Sophocles)
E. Voutiras, Studien zu Interpretation und Stil griechischer Porträts des 5. und frühen 4. Jhs., Bonn, 1980, p. 132, no. 21
Jonathan Scott, The Pleasures of Antiquity: British Collectors of Greece and Rome, New Haven, 2003, fig. 106
Sheila Dillon, Ancient Greek Portrait Sculpture: Contexts, Subjects, and Styles, Cambridge, 2006, p. 182
Arachne nos. 12187 and 51453 (http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/12187; http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/51453)

As described. Various chips and abrasions. Surface appears to have been repolished in places. Some of restored drapery fragments fallen off. Joins between original and restored have been filled and painted over. Lower left portion of hanging drapery restored.
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 English dealer Thomas Jenkins (ca. 1722-1798) was James Hugh Smith-Barry's sole purveyor of ancient marbles, starting in 1772 when he sold him the famous group of Bacchus and Ariadne, now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, inv. no. 68.770. In a letter dated 1770 Jenkins boasted to two of his other clients, Lord Bessborough and the Marquis of Rockingham, that he owned a statue of Homer which would be "really worth of [their] rank" (V. Coltman, Classical Sculpture and The Culture of Collecting in Britain Since 1760, Oxford, 2009, p. 274).