A Roman Marble Portrait Head of Faustina Minor, A.D. 161-176

VAT reduced rateUK: Greenford Park Warehouse

Lot Closed

July 6, 01:32 PM GMT

Estimate

10,000 - 15,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Property from a North American Private Collection

A Roman Marble Portrait Head of Faustina Minor

A.D. 161-176

turned slightly to her right, her wavy hair centrally parted, brushed over the ears, and tied in a massive chignon of interlocking braids, small curls escaping over the nape of the neck, the neck carved for insertion into a bust or statue, remains of drapery at the back; nose and mouth restored in marble, tip of nose in plaster.

Height 38 cm.

This lot has a W symbol. The work will be stored and is to be collected from the Sotheby’s Greenford Park Warehouse. Please refer to the online Conditions of Business for further information.

European private collection, 17th/18th Century (based on restoration techniques)
Gilda Grat de Racaj Montemayor (circa 1900-1980), New York and Mexico City
private collection, Mexico
by descent to the present owner

The present head is a portrait of Faustina Minor, wife of emperor Marcus Aurelius, and belongs to her 7th portrait type, created in 161 A.D.: http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/typus/491. Numerous examples of this type are known, e.g. in the Musei Capitolini (http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/16306), in the Galleria degli Uffizi (http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/38520), and in the Louvre (http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/objekt/54869).