Lot 28
  • 28

A Roman Marble Portrait Head of a Girl, Flavian or Trajanic, circa A.D. 90-110

Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 USD
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Description

  • A Roman Marble Portrait Head of a Girl
  • Marble
  • Height 9 7/8 in. 25.1 cm.
turned slightly to her right, her round face with finely-carved eyes, the hair drawn back in rows of wavy tresses and bound into a circular chignon, a braid escaping onto the forehead, the neck restored in marble in the 18th or 19th Century.

Provenance

Denys Sutton (1917-1991), London, acquired between 1957 and 1972
by descent to the present owner

Condition

Neck restored, ears chipped, nose formerly restored in marble, three inch long shallow chip on top of chignon.
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.

Catalogue Note

Cf. M.B. Comstock and C.C. Vermeule, Sculpture in Stone. The Greek, Roman and Etruscan Collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, 1976, no. 336, for a Julio-Claudian portrait of a girl with braid from forehead to crown.

Denys Miller Sutton (1917-1991) assumed the role of editor of the London-based arts magazine Apollo in 1962, and retained this position for about 25 years, during which he considerably expanded the scope of the publication, addressing sensitive art preservation issues, attracting new contributors among prominent art historians and writers, writing many articles himself, and devoting several issues to the collections of museums around the world. His strong and unrelenting interest in the visual arts was a lifelong pursuit: he served as secretary of the international commission for the restitution of cultural material after World War II, worked as an art critic for Country Life and the Financial Times, authored several books on painting, including works on Watteau, Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Picasso, and Whistler, and organized several exhibitions abroad such as shows on Constable and Titian in Tokyo. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (vol. 53, Oxford, 2003, p. 382) describes him as an "astute collector of art."