Stunning Roman Marble Head of a Young Woman

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. A solemn, lifelike marble carving of a woman's head, frozen forever in an expression that suggests a quiet thoughtfulness and silent observation. Her large eyes stare forward from underneath deep brows, with a long, straight nose and a thin-lipped mouth that is quirked into a slight smile. Her hair has been carefully styled in a center-parted series of waves that are pulled back behind her head into a bun and secured with a thin band or diadem. Size: 2.9" W x 3.9" H (7.4 cm x 9.9 cm); 8" H (20.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Marble statuary, reliefs, and cladding were ubiquitous in the Roman world, as the remains of the preserved cities at Herculaneum and Pompeii demonstrate. Their sculpture was intended to conjure human vitality, and was inspired by the works of Polykleitos, who became the model to which sculptors aspired in Greco-Roman as well as later Western European art. Greco-Roman statuary, unlike that of the other Mediterranean civilizations like Egypt, Persia, etc., celebrated the naturalistic human form. Today, these carvings remind us of our similarities to ancient people - you can imagine exactly what this woman looked like in life.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Mary K.F. Leong collection, Washington, USA, acquired between 1980 and 1990

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#141432
Condition Report: Head is a fragment from a larger sculpture. Tip of nose has been expertly repaired and the repair is almost impossible to see. Small part of one earlobe is also lost. Light surface pitting and wear commensurate with age, with some small deposits in the lower profile areas. Excellent preservation of facial details.