A Roman Marble Head of a Poet, Circa 1st Century A.D., with 18th century restorations

his face with full beard and moustache and eyes drilled at the inner corners, his centrally-parted hair falling in wavy locks over the forehead and temples and surmounted by a wreath of laurel leaves and berries; the herm bust, neck, entire back of the head, and nose restored in marble.

probably Frederick Augustus Hervey (1730-1803), the 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Cloyne (1767-1768), and Bishop of Derry (1768-1803)
McElderay collection, Ireland, acquired between 1920-1934
Christie's, London, European Furniture, Works of Art, Tapestries and Carpets, November 22nd, 2005, no. 423

As described. Surface weathered, abraded, and chipped overall. Loss to front of wreath. Nose restored in marble and painted over. Eighteenth century back of head and bust with scattered chips, scratches, and abrasions. A stain possibly from an iron pin on the back of the neck on the proper left side.
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 present bust was sold with three other busts from the McElderay collection; among them was a bust of Odysseus known to have belonged to the Earl of Bristol, Frederick Augustus Hervey, the "Earl-Bishop," and now in the Mougins Museum (S. Albersmeier, ed., Heroes: Mortals, and Myths in Ancient Greece, Baltimore, 2009).

Hervey's legacy is one of an eccentric but devoted collector who filled his homes with paintings, modern sculpture, and antiquities. He constructed Pantheon-inspired houses at Ickworth in Suffolk and at Ballyscullion in Ireland, as well as an Irish country house, Downhill, on the coast of Londonderry near Coleraine. He exported several busts from Italy in 1778, although their descriptions do not allow for them to be identified (I. Bignamini and C. Hornsby, Digging and Dealing in Eighteenth-Century Rome, New Haven and London, 2010, p. 284). Some of the collection at Downhill was damaged or lost in a fire in 1851; in 2007, a Doryphoros head was found by a groundskeeper at Downhill (J. Lenaghan, "On the Use of Roman Copies: Two New Examples of the Doryphoros and Westmacott Ephebe," Eidola, no. 4, 2007).