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Lot Essay
For a related archaistic portrait of a goddess with similar spiral-corkscrew curls framing the face, perhaps representing the goddess Isis, see no. 185 in A. Giuliano, ed., Museo Nazionale Romano, vol. I, pt. 1. In the absence of other preserved attributes, however, the identity of this enigmatic goddess cannot easily be ascertained.
The head was originally in the collection of Karl Wittgenstein (1847-1913), Vienna, and inherited by his daughter, Margaret Wittgenstein-Stonborough. Archival images from 1931 show the present head on display in her home, Haus Wittegenstein, which she commissioned in 1926. Her home was confiscated by the Nazis during World War II for use as a hospital, and then during the post-war occupation by the Russians it served as the barracks of a cavalry unit. Many assets, including this head, were preserved for the family by a loyal employee who buried objects of value in the basement, only to be returned to the family after the home was restituted. Haus Wittgenstein remained in the family until 1968; it is now used by the Bulgarian Cultural Institute.
The head was originally in the collection of Karl Wittgenstein (1847-1913), Vienna, and inherited by his daughter, Margaret Wittgenstein-Stonborough. Archival images from 1931 show the present head on display in her home, Haus Wittegenstein, which she commissioned in 1926. Her home was confiscated by the Nazis during World War II for use as a hospital, and then during the post-war occupation by the Russians it served as the barracks of a cavalry unit. Many assets, including this head, were preserved for the family by a loyal employee who buried objects of value in the basement, only to be returned to the family after the home was restituted. Haus Wittgenstein remained in the family until 1968; it is now used by the Bulgarian Cultural Institute.