A Roman Marble Figure of a Girl Holding a Dove, circa 2nd Century A.D.

standing with the weight on her left leg and holding a dove with both hands against her chest, and wearing a long chiton with overfold pulled up on her left side, the garment slipping slightly off her right shoulder, a signet-ring on her left ring finger; the heads of both girl and dove formerly restored, the body of the girl pierced through from back to front at chest level, probably for insertion of a waterpipe and for use of the statue as a fountain figure.

Palazzo Muti-Bussi, Via Aracoeli, Rome, 18th Century
acquired by the present owner on the English art market

rough drawing by Henry Tresham (1751-1814): Carl Robert, Römisches Skizzenbuch aus dem 18. Jh. (Zwanzigstes Hallisches Winckelmannsprogramm), Halle, 1897, p. 37f., no. 137, illus. p. 13
Comte de Clarac, Musée de sculpture antique et moderne, vol. 5, Paris, 1851, p. 148f., no. 2235a, pl. 877b
Salomon Reinach, Répertoire de la statuaire grecque et romaine, vol. 1, Paris, 1897, p. 537, no. 7 
Friedrich Matz and Friedrich von Duhn, Antike Bildwerke in Rom, vol. 1, Leipzig, 1881, p. 340f., no. 1169 
Walter Amelung in Denkmäler griechischer und römischer Sculptur, nos. 583f., Munich, 1905, p. 6
Adolf Preyss, "Mädchentorso vom Ilissos," Römische Mitteilungen, vol. 29, 1914, p. 19f.

Proper right foot and edge of base original but repaired. Front of both big toes fragmentary, each with a pin hole for now missing marble restoration. Head, edge of wing, and tail of dove fragmentary, with pin holes formerly securing old restorations. Stable stress cracks across front of proper right shoulder and below proper left collarbone. Back of shoulders and piece of garment restored in a large single crescent-shaped piece of fine-grained Italian white marble. Entire figure pierced through from the back in a funnel-shaped, roughly hewn channel terminating in a smaller hole at the neck of the dove above the break, most likely for use as a fountain figure either in antiquity or modern times. Note areas of heavy losses, abrasions, weathering, and incrustation on lower part of drapery in front. Recut (reduced) proper right wrist. Entire surface of figure repolished. Specific areas, such as drapery on torso above proper right arm and most of proper left side of statue appear to have been acid cleaned.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present figure is a copy of a Greek original of the Hellenistic period. For the dress and the gesture of the arms cf. a torso from Delos: J. Marcadé, Au Musée de Délos, 1969, pl. 51, no. A78. Holding a small animal is typical of Greek statues of children; cf. two statues in Athens: N. Kaltsas, Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum Athens, 2002, p. 268, nos. 559–560.

According to Matz and Duhn (op. cit., p. 341), there was a second statue of this type in the Palazzo Muti-Bussi. This second statue is likely to be the one sold at Bonhams, London, October 5th, 2011, no. 283.