Greek Hellenistic Marble Head of a

Ancient Greece, Hellenistic Period, ca. 3rd to 2nd century BCE. Carved in the round, a lovely marble head of a female, perhaps Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, finely carved with beautiful facial features and a centrally-parted coiffure tucked under a diadem - note the incredible rendering of her wavy locks. The goddess' elegant, oval face is sensitively modeled so as to present a naturalistic visage characteristic of the Hellenistic period with a rounded forehead, large and generously lidded almond-shaped eyes, a fine brow line that merges with the bridge of her nose, a soft rounded chin, and full, bow-shaped lips. Truly life-like, despite the goddess' mythical status, this naturalistic visage demonstrates that the sculptor was virtuosic in his ability to bring marble to life! Size: 6.5" L x 4.5" W x 6.5" H (16.5 cm x 11.4 cm x 16.5 cm); 8.75" H (22.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Aphrodite's sublime beauty legendarily inspired much rivalry among the gods, not to mention countless depictions throughout art history, among the most famous, the Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" (1484-86), Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens' "Judgement of Paris" (ca. 1636), and of course, Attic sculptor Praxiteles's "Aphrodite of Knidos" (ca. 360-330 BCE) and the equally famous "Lely's Venus" (ca. 100 to 199 CE).

Provenance: private Texas, USA collection acquired 2013; ex collection of Mr. Dimitris Nitsulis of Greece who acquired it from Mr. Kemmitz of Otto Eger & Co. in 1929 - accompanied by Greek letter with translation that delineates this provenance and also states that Mr. Nitsulis is a relative of owner's wife's ancestors

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#153372
Condition Report: Old losses to neck line and head/coiffure as shown. Normal surface wear with abrasions/chips to nose, diadem, cheeks, chin, and other high pointed areas. Scattered mineral deposits.