Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art

Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 272. A Roman Marble Acroterion, circa 2nd/3rd Century A.D..

Property from a New York Private Collection

A Roman Marble Acroterion, circa 2nd/3rd Century A.D.

Lot Closed

July 7, 04:12 PM GMT

Estimate

15,000 - 20,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Property from a New York Private Collection

A Roman Marble Acroterion

circa 2nd/3rd Century A.D.


from the right front corner of a large sarcophagus lid, carved with the head of a sea or wind god, his face with full lips, fragmentary nose probably once restored in marble, incised irises with drilled crescentic pupils, and gnarled and furrowed brow, the thick wavy hair falling in long voluted locks onto the base of the lid; traces of red pigment.

29.5 by 18.4 by 12.7 cm.

Arthur and Marjorie Silver Collection, Los Angeles (Sotheby’s, New York, December 8th, 2000, no. 139, illus.)

acquired by the present owner at the above sale


Published

Sotheby's, London, July 5th, 2022, no. 179, illus.

For related examples compare L. Budde and R. Nicholls, A Catalogue of the Greek and Roman Sculpture in the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge, 1964, pl. 57, no. 164, in the form of a head of the sun-god Helios. Also see M. Comstock and C. Vermeule III, Sculpture in Stone. The Greek, Roman and Etruscan Collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 1976, pp. 169-170, nos. 270-271, fragmentary examples showing a triton or satyr head and the head of a marine divinity.