Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art
Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art
A ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT HEAD OF A YOUNG WOMAN, SEVERAN, EARLY 3RD CENTURY A.D., ON 17TH/18TH CENTURY SHOULDERS
Auction Closed
December 3, 05:06 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT HEAD OF A YOUNG WOMAN, SEVERAN, EARLY 3RD CENTURY A.D., ON 17TH/18TH CENTURY SHOULDERS
turned slightly to her right, her eyes with incised irises and drilled crescentic pupils, her earlobes pierced, her hair drawn back in rows of wavy tresses and gathered in an oval plait on the back; nose and upper lip restored, the nipples pierced for insertion of metal pipes and now plugged with marble stoppers.
Total height incl. socle 60 cm.; height of head 20 cm.
European private collection, 17th/18th Century (based on restoration techniques)
collection of a French composer, acquired in the 1940s
Published
Bonhams, London, October 5th, 2011, no. 137, illus.
For the hairstyle, and especially the form of the plait on the back, cf. the portrait sold at Sotheby’s, London, July 2nd, 2019, no. 246. For the modern bust with a fringed cloth typical for representations of Isis cf. an ancient bust in the Vatican: B. Andreae, ed., Bildkatalog der Skulpturen des Vatikanischen Museums, vol. 1, 1994, pl. 571.