Roman Head of child Bacchus with Inlaid Eyes

2nd century AD. A fine bronze sculpture depicting the head of young Bacchus or Dionysus, fleshy face with plump cheeks and chin, the smiling face with large inlaid eyes, each with a recess for a pupil; short, naturally curling hair arranged in blocks with a crown of flowers and vine leaves, each flower with traces of red pigment; mounted on a custom-made display stand. See Daremberg & Saglio, Dictionnaire des Antiquités Grecques et Romaines, Paris, 1873-1917; see Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques De Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 449, for a similar example with complete body; see Akerraz, A., Touri, A., Habibi, M., Boube-Piccot, C., Il Marocco e Roma, i grandi bronzi del museo di Rabat, Roma, 1992, for similar divine children heads. 286 grams total, 13.5cm including stand (5 1/4"). From the collection of a Kensington gentleman; previously in the Weber collection, 1980s; accompanied by an archaeological expertise of 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.10749-177413. The rendering of the head is very similar to a sculpture of a small Bacchus from Saint Germain en Laye, representing the divine child crowned with flowers. During the Roman imperial period, children were widely represented in both public and private art. Images of both mortal and divine children appeared in the artworks and furnishings of the home, and on funerary monuments and urns. Young Bacchus was a very popular image, with his chubby face, and eyes framed by abundant curly hair covering the ears and tied at the back of the neck, surmounted by a crown of foliage. The thin creases on the sides of the nose and the slightly lowered corners of the half-open mouth give the face of this sculpture a certain melancholy. It is probable that these statues of Bacchus or Eros could have been placed on the tombs of children, as angels are still placed on children's graves today. Often, the statues of divine children, like the ones depicting Bacchus, were covered with gold leaf or inlay, like the two heads in the Volubilis Museum (Akerraz, Touri, Habibi, Boube-Piccot, 1992, pp.58-59"). [A video of this lot can be viewed on the Timeline Auctions website]
Condition Report: Very fine condition.