ANTONINE PERIOD, CIRCA MID 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT BUST OF A WOMAN
ANTONINE PERIOD, CIRCA MID 2ND CENTURY A.D.
14 ¼ in. (36.1 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, London, 1970s.
with V.C. Vecchi & Sons, London.
Private Collection, Geneva, acquired from the above, 1977.
with Ariadne Galleries, New York and London, acquired from the above, circa 2014.
Acquired by the current owner from the above, 2017.

Literature

J. Chamay, "Sculpture romaine: Le portrait et le relief historique," in M. Campagnolo, et al., eds., Bronze et or: Visages de Marc Aurèle, empereur, capitaine, moraliste, Geneva, 1996, p. 80.

Exhibited

Geneva, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Bronze et or: Visages de Marc Aurèle, empereur, capitaine, moraliste, 19 April-14 June 1996.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

With her center-parted hair cascading in undulating waves, framing her face and concealing most of her ears, this anonymous portrait is fashioned after Empress Faustina Minor, wife of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. For a related portrait also with the attributes of Faustina, see the example in the Vatican Museums, W. Amelung, <i>Die Sculpturen des Vaticanischen Museums</i>, vol. I, pl. 78. Of note, the chignon on this portrait is hollow, perhaps indicating that it was originally finished in another material.

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