THE BEAUTY WITHIN: The Chenel Collection
THE BEAUTY WITHIN: The Chenel Collection
A Roman Marble Portrait Bust of a Woman, Reign of Agrippina, circa A.D. 20-40
Lot Closed
December 17, 04:12 PM GMT
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A Roman Marble Portrait Bust of a Woman
Reign of Agrippina, circa A.D. 20-40
her wavy hair centrally parted and tied in a chignon with four braids looped over the nape of neck, two curls escaping from the chignon on each side, the draped shoulders not belonging, the name "Agripina" inscribed on the cartellino a later addition, the number "770" painted in back on the central support; nose, most of hair-loops on nape of neck, and small fold of shoulders restored.
Total height 73 cm.
French private collection, Tourcoing, acquired in the 1970s/1980s (Mercier & Cie, Lille, October 6th, 2019, no. 198, illus.)
acquired at the above sale
The head is a private portrait from the Tiberian period. Related portraits are in the Vatican (B. Andreae, ed., Bildkatalog der Skulpturen des Vatikanischen Museums, vol. I.1, pl. 144f.), and in Venice (G. Traversari, Museo Archeologico di Venezia. I ritratti, 1968, p. 42f., no. 22). For an overview of female hairstyles of that period see K. Polaschek, Trierer Zeitschrift, vol. 35, 1972, pp. 164ff., fig. 8. The draped shoulders date from the mid 2nd cent. AD, cf. a bust in Rome: K. Fittschen, P. Zanker, Katalog der römischen Porträts in den Capitolinischen Museen, vol. 3, 1983, p. 66f., no. 87, pl. 109.
The number painted on the bust support in back is the inventory number of a Roman Baroque collection. Cf. the numbers on the back of busts from the Verospi collection: M. Picozzi, Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma, vol. 93, 1989/90, pp. 447ff., figs. 1ff.