Roman Head of Goddess or Nymph
Roman Head of Goddess or Nymph Early 2nd century AD
A marble head of a nymph or goddess Diana or Juno, youthful and serene, with lips slightly parted, almond-shaped eyes, and wavy hair arranged in a centre parting and styled into a loose chignon at the nape of the neck, the head crowned with a diadem; mounted on an 18th century marble base. 23.3 kg, 38 cm including stand (15"). Fine condition.
Provenance
From a UK collection since 2013; formerly in a European collection since the 1990s; previously in an Austrian private collection; accompanied by an expertise written by Dr. Raffaele D’Amato; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10134-136701.
Literature
See Felletti Maj, B.M., Museo Nazionale Romano, I Ritratti, Roma, 1953; Bianchi Bandinelli, R., L'arte Romana nel centro del potere, dalle origini alla fine del II secolo d.C., Roma, 1969; Scrinari, V.S.M., Sculture Romane di Aquileia, Roma, 1972; Fittschen K., Zanker P., Le sculture del Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna, La collezione Marsili, Comune di Bologna, Bologna, 1986; Agnoli, N., Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Palestrina, Le sculture, Roma, 2002; Vout, C., ‘Hadrian, Hellenism, and the Social History of Art’, in Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, Third Series, Vol. 18, No. 1, Spring-Summer 2010, pp. 55-78; similar portraits can be found in Aquileia (Scrinari, 1972, cat. 136-141, pp.48ff).
Footnotes
Juno was the chief goddess and female counterpart of Jupiter, closely resembling the Greek Hera. Alongside Jupiter and Minerva, she was a member of the Capitoline triad of deities, and was connected with all aspects of the life of women, particularly with married life. The sculpture, a Roman copy of a Greek original, preserves Praxitelean proportions and types, similar in the face setting and in the hairstyle to various examples from Rome. It is probably the work of a large city workshop, with elements rendered naturalistically.
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Roman Head of Goddess or Nymph Early 2nd century AD
A marble head of a nymph or goddess Diana or Juno, youthful and serene, with lips slightly parted, almond-shaped eyes, and wavy hair arranged in a centre parting and styled into a loose chignon at the nape of the neck, the head crowned with a diadem; mounted on an 18th century marble base. 23.3 kg, 38 cm including stand (15"). Fine condition.
Provenance
From a UK collection since 2013; formerly in a European collection since the 1990s; previously in an Austrian private collection; accompanied by an expertise written by Dr. Raffaele D’Amato; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10134-136701.
Literature
See Felletti Maj, B.M., Museo Nazionale Romano, I Ritratti, Roma, 1953; Bianchi Bandinelli, R., L'arte Romana nel centro del potere, dalle origini alla fine del II secolo d.C., Roma, 1969; Scrinari, V.S.M., Sculture Romane di Aquileia, Roma, 1972; Fittschen K., Zanker P., Le sculture del Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna, La collezione Marsili, Comune di Bologna, Bologna, 1986; Agnoli, N., Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Palestrina, Le sculture, Roma, 2002; Vout, C., ‘Hadrian, Hellenism, and the Social History of Art’, in Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, Third Series, Vol. 18, No. 1, Spring-Summer 2010, pp. 55-78; similar portraits can be found in Aquileia (Scrinari, 1972, cat. 136-141, pp.48ff).
Footnotes
Juno was the chief goddess and female counterpart of Jupiter, closely resembling the Greek Hera. Alongside Jupiter and Minerva, she was a member of the Capitoline triad of deities, and was connected with all aspects of the life of women, particularly with married life. The sculpture, a Roman copy of a Greek original, preserves Praxitelean proportions and types, similar in the face setting and in the hairstyle to various examples from Rome. It is probably the work of a large city workshop, with elements rendered naturalistically.
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Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
