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Lot Essay
Serapis was a syncretistic deity first introduced in Alexandria by Ptolemy I Soter (r. 305⁄304-282 B.C.) to unite his heterogenous society encompassing Greeks and native Egyptians. As A. Stewart concludes (Greek Sculpture, p. 202), “the synthesis was shrewd, embracing on the Greek side Dionysos in his capacity as a god of a joyous afterlife, and Hades-Pluto as simultaneously god of the Underworld and the god of fertility (via his association with the earth, Persephone, and through her the life-giving Eleusinian Mysteries); and on the Egyptian, the Apis bull, worshipped in death at Memphis (whence the cult was introduced to Alexandria) as Osor-Hapi and as such identified with Osiris, the pan-Egyptian fertility god…[who was] set to rule over the dead.” The all-embracing nature of Serapis proved popular beyond Egypt and in subsequent centuries the god’s cult was exported throughout the Roman world (see p. 104 in E. Vassilika, Greek and Roman Art).
The most celebrated cult statue of Serapis was sculpted by Bryaxis in Alexandria between 286-278 B.C. and depicted the god with luxurious curls that were characterized by three locks that fell vertically over his forehead (see Stewart, op. cit., p. 203 and pp. 83-84 in M. Bieber, The Sculpture of the Hellenistic Age). However, as B.S. Ridgeway informs (p. 95 in Hellenistic Sculpture I), the spread of Serapis’ cult throughout the Graeco-Roman world makes it “impossible, in the present state of our knowledge, to determine which cult image was copied by the extant replicas.”
Serapis is depicted here with thick, wavy locks framing his finely-carved face, including the characteristic curls falling onto his forehead. He has a full beard parted into two larger central curls and his mustache extends over his upper lip. The god’s head is surmounted by a modius decorated with olive branches. The head is mounted onto a later bust and socle, likely from the 19th century. For a similar depiction, see no. 93a in G. Clerc and J. Leclant, “Sarapis,” LIMC, vol. VII.
This bust was collected by Howard K. (1914-2002) and Benedicte Traberg (1921-2008) Smith. Howard was one of the most prominent journalists of the 20th century, having been part of “The Murrow Boys,” CBS radio broadcasters associated with Edward R. Murrow during World War II. During his long career, Howard reported on the 20th century’s most seminal events including the Battle of the Bulge, the Nuremburg Trials and the Civil Rights Movement. Benedicte, also a journalist, first met Howard while reporting on World War II from Berlin for a Danish newspaper. This Serapis was included in a larger collection of antiquities, furniture and books that adorned the couple’s home on McArthur Boulevard overlooking the Potomac River.
The most celebrated cult statue of Serapis was sculpted by Bryaxis in Alexandria between 286-278 B.C. and depicted the god with luxurious curls that were characterized by three locks that fell vertically over his forehead (see Stewart, op. cit., p. 203 and pp. 83-84 in M. Bieber, The Sculpture of the Hellenistic Age). However, as B.S. Ridgeway informs (p. 95 in Hellenistic Sculpture I), the spread of Serapis’ cult throughout the Graeco-Roman world makes it “impossible, in the present state of our knowledge, to determine which cult image was copied by the extant replicas.”
Serapis is depicted here with thick, wavy locks framing his finely-carved face, including the characteristic curls falling onto his forehead. He has a full beard parted into two larger central curls and his mustache extends over his upper lip. The god’s head is surmounted by a modius decorated with olive branches. The head is mounted onto a later bust and socle, likely from the 19th century. For a similar depiction, see no. 93a in G. Clerc and J. Leclant, “Sarapis,” LIMC, vol. VII.
This bust was collected by Howard K. (1914-2002) and Benedicte Traberg (1921-2008) Smith. Howard was one of the most prominent journalists of the 20th century, having been part of “The Murrow Boys,” CBS radio broadcasters associated with Edward R. Murrow during World War II. During his long career, Howard reported on the 20th century’s most seminal events including the Battle of the Bulge, the Nuremburg Trials and the Civil Rights Movement. Benedicte, also a journalist, first met Howard while reporting on World War II from Berlin for a Danish newspaper. This Serapis was included in a larger collection of antiquities, furniture and books that adorned the couple’s home on McArthur Boulevard overlooking the Potomac River.