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A Monumental Marble Head of Hermes-Thoth, Late Hellenistic, circa 2nd Century B.C.
Description
- A Monumental Marble Head of Hermes-Thoth
- Marble and bronze
- Height 17 in. 43.2 cm.
Provenance
Robin Symes, Ltd., London
Albrecht Neuhaus, Würzburg, by 1970
American private collection, acquired circa 1990
acquired by the present owner on the European art market in 2006
Literature
Gérard Siebert, “Hermes,” in Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae, vol. V, Zurich and Munich, 1990, no. 953a
Robert Steven Bianchi, “The Nahman Alexander,” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, vol. 43, 2007, p. 29, note 6
The Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/vpc/VPC_search/record.php?record=29294)
Condition
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
G. Siebert (op. cit.) dates the present head to the end of the Hellenistic period, and includes it in a group of heads of Hermes reminiscent of the style of the Greek sculptor Skopas, particularly in the treatment of the forehead, eyes, and mouth. The other two examples are in the British Museum (A.H. Smith, A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum, vol. II, London, 1900, no. 1462, Siebert, op. cit., no. 953b, illus., and http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/10518) and in Budapest (A. Hekler, Museum der bildenden Künste in Budapest. Die Sammlung antiker Skulpturen, Vienna, 1929, no. 35, Siebert, op. cit., no. 953c, illus.).
The physiognomy, hairstyle, arrangement of the forelocks, and positioning of the diadem are reminiscent of several heads of Herakles all thought to derive from the same 4th Century B.C. Greek original designated as the "Lenbach Herakles" type. See S. Kansteiner, Herakles. Die Darstellungen in der Großplastik der Antike, Cologne, 2000, cat. nos. Lb 8 (British Museum: http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/10713), Lb 11 (Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek: http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/8997), and Lb 12 (Museo del Sannio, Benevent: http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/1822).
For other heads of Hermes with athletic features similar to depictions of Herakles see A. Linfert's entry in Die antiken Skulpturen in Chatsworth, Mainz am Rhein, 1997, no. 27, pls. 26-27: http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/4114, and C. Gasparri, ed., Le sculture Farnese, vol. I, Milan, 2009, pp. 149-150, no. 68, pl. 63.