Northern Italian, Veneto, circa 1700

Overall the condition of the marble is good with some dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is some weathering to the surface consistent with placement outdoors, notably to the top of the heads and around the eyes and noses of the heads. The eyes, nose, lips and chin of the younger head are particularly weathered with some dirt. A large section of the marble socle is lost. There are chips and abrasions at the high points of the drapery, notably on the young figure's proper right side.There are several light abrasions and scratches also to the faces and there are chips to the tip of the nose of the young figure. There is dirt throughout. There is some veining to the marble consistent with the material, notably to the top of the heads and to the drapery of the older figure. There is some plaster residue to the older figure's drapery at the bottom and to the socle. There are yellowish residues to the socle. There is particular wear to the drapery at the old man's chest. There are some small hole in the drapery at the old man's proper right shoulder. There are some open veins at the old man's abdomen.
"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."

So-called janiform busts borrow their name from Janus, the Roman god of doorways and transitions. The god was represented in Roman iconography with two faces on opposite sides of the head to symbolise his looking towards both the future and the past, or to the beginning and the end. The practice of producing double-headed herm busts in antiquity was not confined to representations of the god Janus, but frequently paired other deities and concepts.

The unusual appearance of the present janiform bust is typical of the idiosyncratic classicism of late-baroque sculpture in the Veneto. Here, an effeminate, partially draped young male, probably the God Apollo, is paired with a bearded gentleman in contemporary dress. The contrast between the ideal and the real, or the young and old, is emphasised not only though the half-figures' dress, but through differences in the treatment of the eyes – with incised and unincised pupils – and the hair. Stylistically the bust has much in common with the work of Giacomo Cassetti (1682-1757), who carved a two-headed statue of Janus for the Palazzo Fietta-Serena at Asolo (Pavanello, op. cit., p. 407). Compare also the features and hair of the 'Apollo' to a female bust by Cassetti's master, Orazio Marinali (1643-1720), at the Villa Pisani in Stra (Semenzato, op. cit., fig. 56).

RELATED LITERATURE
C. Semenzato, La Scultura Veneta del seicento e del settecento, Venice, 1966; G. Pavanello (ed.), La Scultura Veneta del Seicento e del Settecento, nuovi studi, Venice, 2002