A ROMAN MARBLE BENCH SUPPORT, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D. | A Roman Marble Bench Support

of rectangular form, decorated at each end with an engaged lion protome emerging from a calyx growing out of a feline leg, each side carved in relief within a square recessed panel with a palmette growing out of a krater; no restorations.

French private collection, Paris, reputedly acquired at auction at the Hôtel Drouot in the 1970s
acquired from the above by the present owner in 2010

Side with lion missing face on left: broad area missing across top of proper left side of head on one lion, all the way back into the frame of the palmette. The other lion is missing one set of canines. Upper edge abraded. The other side shows the upper left corner of the frame and part of the palmette chipped and abraded.
"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."

A related example with a single lion at one end is in the Sir John Soane's Museum, inv. no. M84 (http://collections.soane.org/object-m84): in his manuscript catalogue entry (no. 248), Cornelius Vermeule notes that "Bench supports such as this are found in considerable numbers throughout the museums of Europe where they are often used as supports for the sarcophagi on display. There are excellent comparative series of these bench supports in Room V of the Lateran Museum, Rome (nos. 306, 310, 313-316). There is also a series with lions' feet at both ends in the Antiquario of the Roman Forum. If the former, the Soane type, they were backed benches or set against walls, as in theatres or the Colisseum. The Museo Forense type were probably freestanding seat supports as were the four examples (halved?) let into the bases of statues in the Villa Borghese (nos. CCXXVI, CCXXVIII, CCXXXX and CCXXXXII)."