A Marble Figure of a Muse, Roman Imperial, Hadrianic, Circa A.D. 117-138

inspired by an early 3rd Century B.C. Greek prototype, standing with the weight on her left leg, and wearing an enveloping himation, the folds held in her right hand to her breast and against her hip by the left arm, a lock of hair falling on the left shoulder, the neck hollowed out for insertion of the head.

Coins and Antiquities, London
English private collection, acquired from the above in the 1960s
English private collection, by descent from the above
acquired by the current owner on the London art market

As described, surface probably lightly acid cleaned and still encrusted in areas, remains of iron pin for attachment of separately carved proper right foot, scattered chips and abrasions, particularly an abraded patch on proper right shoulder blade and chips to back of neck, restored chip on back of proper left hand, proper right hand and forearm repaired, proper left shoulder including lock of hair repaired.
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For an identical example of the same size (68 cm. high, with a slightly higher base), possibly even the product of the same workshop, see the figure in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, inv. no. A. 885 (O. Waldhauer, Die antiken Skulpturen der Ermitage, part 3, Berlin and Leipzig, 1936, p. 36, no. 276, fig. 34), originally in the collection of Baron Alexander von Stieglitz (1814-1884).

The three other known examples of this type are at Blenheim Palace (A. Scholl, Die antiken Skulpturen in Farnborough Hall, Mainz, 1995, cat. B1, pl. 7: http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/2590), at Schloss Wörlitz (E. Paul, Wörlitzer Antiken. Eine Skulpturensammlung des Klassizismus, Wörlitz, 1965, pp. 43-44, cat. no. 28, ill. 23: http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/32014) and in the Museo Arqueológico in Madrid (see K. M. Türr, Eine Musengruppe hadrianischer Zeit. Die sogenannten Thespiaden, Berlin, 1971, pp. 16 and 64, no. 12).