A Marble Portrait Head of a Boy, Roman Imperial, circa 2nd half of the 1st Century A.D.

from a draped bust, turned to his left, with finely carved eyes, his ribbed wavy hair falling straight over the back of the head and in long corkscrew curls over the shoulders and nape of the neck.

Baron Maximilian von Heyl (1844-1925), Darmstadt
Hugo Helbing, Munich, Katalog der Sammlung Baron Heyl, Darmstadt. Vol. II: Sammlung antiker Kunst, Darmstadt, October 30th, 1930, no. 23
probably Dr. Arthur Rosin (1879-1974), Berlin and New York
Leopold Gutmann (1891-1970), Noerdlingen and New York, probably received as a gift from the above, his father-in-law; brought to New York from Germany in 1937 as part of his art collection
Leonard Sussman (1920-2015), New York and Craftsbury, Vermont, received as a gift from the above, his father-in-law
by descent to the present owners

Paul Arndt and Georg Lippold, Photographische Einzelaufnahmen antiker Skulpturen, Serie XIII, Munich, 1932, nos. 3744-3746
P. Cairn, Marmorbildnisse neronisch-flavischer Zeit, Munich, 1993, pp. 252-253, no. 132
F. Fless, Opferdiener und Kultusmusiker auf stadtrömischen historischen reliefs. Untersuchungen zur Ikonographie, Funktion und Benennung, Mainz, 1995, p. 67, pl. pl. 30.1-2
John Pollini, "The Warren Cup: Homoerotic Love and Symposial Rhetoric in Silver," The Art Bulletin, vol. 81, 1999, pp. 34-35, figs. 19-20
John Pollini, "Two Portrait Busts of Slave Boys from a Shrine of Cobannus in Gaul," Studia Varia from the J. Paul Getty Museum, 2001, vol. 2, p. 139 and note 103
Klaus Fittschen - Paul Zanker, Katalog der römischen Porträts in den Capitolinischen Museen und den anderen komunalen Sammlungen der Stadt Rom, vol. IV, Mainz, 2014, p. 45, note 9n

Chin abraded and restored in painted plaster, lips entirely restored in painted plaster, nose formally restored in painted red wax, eyelids chipped with small areas of red wax restorations and both ears restored in red wax now worn and abraded. The entire front of the hair restored in painted red wax, some of it cracking. After removal of the restored nose, the white marble underneath was toned down with water-based paint as were areas of black staining surrounding the nose. The entire surface of the object is covered in a thick layer of grime. The original color of the marble can be seen on the underside when lifted from the base. Chips and abrasions overall. Back of the head in very good condition. 1932 photographs showing the head probably very shortly after restoration are available upon request.
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 head was long lost until recently, and is part of a group of portraits of young boys which wealthy Romans would have used as slaves for religious practices and/or entertainment purposes (see Fittschen, op. cit. 2014, for the most up-to-date bibliography). For the most closely related example, which is in the Uffizi, see Pollini, op. cit., 1999, p. 34, fig. 17-18.