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Lot Essay
Though catalogued as a Greek original in the 1914 Sambon sale, this splendid marble head is now understood to be a Roman copy of a Hellenistic Greek bronze original. C.C. Vermeule writes, "While the bold use of drilling and undercutting might at first glance suggest an Antonine date, the proportions of the features, with the very large and sharp-lidded eyes but not bulging eyes, the strongly emphasized division of lips, have their best parallels in major works of late Flavian to Hadrianic times" (The Ernest Brummer Collection, p. 245).
As only the head of the statue survives, it is impossible to be more specific about which deity is being represented; the god's pose, attributes and dress may have enabled a more precise identification. However, the thick locks, beard and strikingly serene demeanor relates him to typical representations of Asclepius or Jupiter, divinities associated with paternal compassion. For a colossal head with a similar relatively short beard, see the colossal statue of Asclepius in the Hermitage (B. Holtzmann, "Asklepios," LIMC, vol. II, no. 261). It is likely that the ultimate prototype for the style is a late 4th century B.C. cult statue of Serapis by Bryaxis, from which the present sculpture inherits its cascading hair.
This impressive head attracted the attention of two of the most noted dealers of the past two centuries. Arthur Sambon (1867-1947) was the son of well-known art dealer and numismatist Jules Sambon. He followed in his father's footsteps to worldwide acclaim. He served as President of the Chambre des experts d'art in Paris. In 1903 he published The Ancient coins Italy ... Etruria, Umbria, Picenum, Samnium, Campania (Cuma and Naples). One of his most famous clients was J. Pierpont Morgan (1865-1913), and it was he who purchased the renowned glass "Morgan cup" (now at the Corning Museum of Glass) at a Paris auction in 1914 for "unlimited commission" on behalf of the American financier.
Ernest Brummer (1891-1964), along with his brothers Joseph (1883–1947) and Imre (1895–1928), were notable dealers of Ancient, Medieval, contemporary French, Pre-Columbian and Tribal art. The brothers operated a gallery in Paris and later New York. Curators and scholars of note were devoted patrons, including Gisela Richter, Curator of Greek and Roman art at the Metropolitan Museum, and James Rorimer, Head of the Medieval department, Director of the Cloisters, and later the Museum. Many of the most important acquisitions of the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s at the Metropolitan, the Cloisters and the Louvre originated with the Brummer brothers, and owe their accession into hallowed collections to the Brummers’ extraordinarily discerning taste. Ernest himself was an art historian of distinction, having studied at the Sorbonne and the École du Louvre; at the latter he worked alongside Salomon Reinach, Director of the Musée des Antiquités Nationales.
As only the head of the statue survives, it is impossible to be more specific about which deity is being represented; the god's pose, attributes and dress may have enabled a more precise identification. However, the thick locks, beard and strikingly serene demeanor relates him to typical representations of Asclepius or Jupiter, divinities associated with paternal compassion. For a colossal head with a similar relatively short beard, see the colossal statue of Asclepius in the Hermitage (B. Holtzmann, "Asklepios," LIMC, vol. II, no. 261). It is likely that the ultimate prototype for the style is a late 4th century B.C. cult statue of Serapis by Bryaxis, from which the present sculpture inherits its cascading hair.
This impressive head attracted the attention of two of the most noted dealers of the past two centuries. Arthur Sambon (1867-1947) was the son of well-known art dealer and numismatist Jules Sambon. He followed in his father's footsteps to worldwide acclaim. He served as President of the Chambre des experts d'art in Paris. In 1903 he published The Ancient coins Italy ... Etruria, Umbria, Picenum, Samnium, Campania (Cuma and Naples). One of his most famous clients was J. Pierpont Morgan (1865-1913), and it was he who purchased the renowned glass "Morgan cup" (now at the Corning Museum of Glass) at a Paris auction in 1914 for "unlimited commission" on behalf of the American financier.
Ernest Brummer (1891-1964), along with his brothers Joseph (1883–1947) and Imre (1895–1928), were notable dealers of Ancient, Medieval, contemporary French, Pre-Columbian and Tribal art. The brothers operated a gallery in Paris and later New York. Curators and scholars of note were devoted patrons, including Gisela Richter, Curator of Greek and Roman art at the Metropolitan Museum, and James Rorimer, Head of the Medieval department, Director of the Cloisters, and later the Museum. Many of the most important acquisitions of the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s at the Metropolitan, the Cloisters and the Louvre originated with the Brummer brothers, and owe their accession into hallowed collections to the Brummers’ extraordinarily discerning taste. Ernest himself was an art historian of distinction, having studied at the Sorbonne and the École du Louvre; at the latter he worked alongside Salomon Reinach, Director of the Musée des Antiquités Nationales.