Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art
Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art
A FRAGMENTARY ROMAN MARBLE GROUP OF AN EROTE RIDING A SEA-LION, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
Auction Closed
December 3, 05:06 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A FRAGMENTARY ROMAN MARBLE GROUP OF AN EROTE RIDING A SEA-LION, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
probably once part of a pair used to decorate a fountain, remains of the erote's right hand grasping the lion's neck, the mythical beast afloat with sharply turned head, full deeply drilled mane, gaping jaws, triangular fins, and long pointed scales, the fish-tail missing; no restorations.
Height 52 cm.
acquired from Galerie Mythes et Légendes, place des Vosges, Paris, in the 1990s
Drouot-Richeleu, Paris, Beaussant-Lefèvre, commissaires-priseurs, June 5th, 2019, no. 215, illus.
A closely related group facing in the opposite direction once decorated the façade of the Villa Borghese in Rome: Topham drawings, Eton College, inv. no. ECL-Bm.1:29/1-2012: http://collections.etoncollege.com/object-ecl-bm-1-29-1-2012. Also see the group formerly in the collection of Leipzig university: http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/55322.