A Roman Marble Relief Theater Mask of a Satyr, Circa late 1st/2nd Century A.D.

probably from the right side of a pinax or rectangular oscillum, his face with full beard of wavy and spiral curls, moustache, aquiline nose with restored tip, and gnarled brow, his long deeply drilled hair raised above the forehead, tied in a fillet, and surmounted by a wreath of ivy leaves and berries, the rippling ends of his fillet and an animal skin falling over the rocky outcrop below.

European private collection, 18th/19th Century (based on restoration techniques and patina)
English private collection, 1990
Sotheby's, London, July 9th, 2008, no. 71 (as Italian, 15th/16th Century)

As shown and described, minor chips and abrasions, the tip of the nose restored in marble, now cracked down the middle, the lower section of the beard restored in marble, repaired break across the neck running under the beard and across the top of the hanging end of the fillet, the part below the head repaired from six fragments, a small stress crack running diagonally approximately 1 3/4 inches along the left cheek, the surface lightly cleaned and repolished in some areas. The back surface is not ancient; the mask appears to have been shaved off of a rectangular relief and scored for attachment to a different surface in later times.
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 related examples see P. C. Bol, ed., Forschungen zur Villa Albani. Katalog der Bildwerke, vol. IV, Berlin, 1994, pp. 288f., cat. no. 481, pl. 167, and p. 291, cat. no. 498, pl. 168. On pinakes or "mask-reliefs" in general see the comprehensive study by H.-J. Cain, "Maskenreliefs," in Bonner Jahrbücher, vol. 188, 1988, pp. 107-221, with multiple illustrations.