A Fragmentary Roman Marble Figure of Apollo, 1st/2nd Century A.D., with Venetian Restorations, 1st half of the 16th Century

seated on his mantle on a rocky outcrop, his right leg forward, his left leg drawn in, a fragmentary kithara on his left thigh; entire upper body, right lower leg incl. part of base, and a drapery fold restored; for the now missing restorations cf. Montalto Album, fol. 70.

Italian private collection, 1st half of the 16th Century (based on the restorations)
Cardinal Alessandro Peretti di Montalto (1571-1623), Villa Montalto, Rome
John Bacon Sawrey Morritt (1772?-1843), Rokeby Hall, Yorkshire
thence by descent, Rokeby Hall (Sotheby’s, London, Medieval, Renaissance, and later Works of Art, June 10th, 1969, no. 83)
acquired at the above sale by the present owner

drawing, Codex Montalto, between 1615-55, fol. 70 (Anna Seidel, Der Codex Montalto, Mainz, 2016, p. 119, fol. 70, illus.)
inventory of the Villa Montalto, between 1623-31 (M. Barberini in E. Debenedetti, ed., Collezionismo e ideologia. Mecenati, artisti e teorici dal classico al neoclassico, 1991, pp. 47 and 48, one of two seated figures of Apollo exhibited facing each other in the same room and described identically: “Una Statua di Appollo nudo a sedere coll’arpa p.mi 3”).
Friedrich Matz, "Antikensammlungen in England,“ Archäologische Zeitung, vol. 31, 1873, p. 26
Adolf Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, Cambridge, 1882, p. 647, no. 10

Entire upper body above navel, right lower leg and foot including part of base, and a drapery fold escaping from the top of the support on the proper right side are restored in marble. This fold is now loose, kept separately, and will need to be reattached after shipping. Missing restorations include: separately-made lower proper right arm, penis, proper right toe, top of kithara, fingers of proper left hand, drapery fold falling from top of proper left side of support, and branch stem on back of support. The face and neck have a more weathered, granular aspect than the rest of the additions. The ancient, lower part of the body and support have been re-polished. The surface has a warm colour, and minor nicks and abrasions.
"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."

In the early 17th Century the statue was displayed in the Galleria of the Casino Felice on the grounds of the Villa Montalto in Rome (Seidel, op. cit., p. 228). The dispersal of the Montalto collection began in 1785 under the auspices of Thomas Jenkins (Seidel, op. cit., pp. 21ff.). J.B.S. Morritt of Rokeby Hall probably began collecting ancient sculpture during or shortly after his Grand Tour in 1794-1796.

Other marbles documented in the Codex Montalto and sold at Sotheby’s are: a figure of Asklepios (Seidel, op. cit., p. 140, fol. 109; Sotheby’s, London, July 22th–23th, 1957, no. 392, and December 10th, 1996, no. 133), a striding figure of a woman (Seidel, op. cit., p. 155f., fol. 139; Sotheby’s, London, June 9th, 1937, no. 115), a group of two erotes (Seidel, op. cit., p. 179f., fol. 203; Sotheby’s London, July 22th–23th, 1957, no. 396), and a relief with Dionysiac thiasos (Seidel, op. cit., p. 189, fol. 232; Sotheby’s New York, December 10th, 2009, no. 45).

For the few marbles still at Rokeby Hall see D. Boschung and H. v. Hesberg, Die antiken Skulpturen in Newby Hall, 2007, pp. 134ff. Dispersed marbles from Rokeby Hall include a Silvanus-statuette sold at Sotheby’s, London, July 10th, 1979, no. 348, and two Greek grave stelai now in the Getty Museum (J. Burnett Grossman, Greek Funerary Sculpture. Catalogue of the Collections at the Getty Villa, 2001, pp. 120ff., no. 44, and p. 130f., no. 47).

In the Villa Montalto the present statuette formed a pair with another seated figure of Apollo playing a string instrument (whereabouts unknown; Seidel, op. cit., p. 120, fol. 71). Based solely on the drawings of these two figures in the Codex Montalto, Seidel hypothesises that they were both restored by Ippolito Buzzi (1562-1634), the same Baroque sculptor believed to have restored another pair of seated Apollos in the Ludovisi Collection. The present lot, however, shows restorations that appear to be earlier in style than those executed by Buzzi. The head in particular is closer to those of restored statues in the Archaeological Museum in Venice, the bulk of which is now attributed to several sculptor's workshops operating in the early 16th Century, including Tullio Lombardo and his relatives (see M. de Paoli, "Opera fatta diligentissimamente": restauri di sculture classiche a Venezia tra Quattro e Cinquecento, 2004).