CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE DRAPED FEMALE FIGURE
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
44 ½ in. (113 cm.) high.

Provenance

Antiquities, Sotheby's, London, 3 December 1991, lot 136.
with Numismatic Ancient Art Gallery, Switzerland.
U.S. art market, acquired from the above, 1993.
Antiquities, Christie's, London, 26 April 2006, lot 216 (unsold).
Antiquities, Christie's, London, 25 October 2007, lot 55.

Literature

J. Pollini, "Roman Marble Sculpture," in M. Merrony, (ed.), Mougins Museum of Classical Art, Mougins, 2011, p. 76, fig. 4.

Exhibited

Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, 2011-2023 (Inv. no. MMoCA583).

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Claudio Corsi Specialist, Head of Department

ccorsi@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7389 2607

Lot Essay

Standing with weight on right leg, her left foot turned slightly outwards, wearing a chiton with himation draped diagonally around her. Without original attributes to identify her, one can only postulate as to who she represents. However, the sensitive contrapposto and tightly-wrapped drapery with the thick diagonal band, may point towards one of the Muses or a goddess. The Muses were often represented as personifications of their areas of patronage with a plethora of attributes and were shown in a multitude of poses: seated, standing, leaning and dancing. Sculptural groups representing the nine Muses were popular at least as early as the Hellenistic Period, and continued to be used by the Romans for the embellishment of theatres, baths, private estates, and in relief on sarcophagi.

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