Lot 43
  • 43

A Monumental Marble Portrait Head of Antinous as Dionysos, Roman Imperial, Hadrianic, A.D 130-138

Estimate
70,000 - 100,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • A Monumental Marble Portrait Head of Antinous as Dionysos
  • Height 16 in. 40.6 cm.
turned to his left, his unruly hair bound in a diadem and surmounted by a wreath of ivy leaves and berries, clusters of grapes hanging from the sides, a hole above the forehead for insertion of a headdress, a square dowel hole under the neck for insertion into a statue, a lead tenon above the nape of the neck.

Provenance

Galerie Segredakis, Paris, 1930s
Emmanuel Koutoulakis, Paris, 1988
Drouot, Paris, October 2nd, 2000, no. 906, illus.

Literature

Hugo Meyer, Antinoos. Die archäologischen Denkmäler unter Einbeziehung des numismatischen und epigraphischen Materials sowie der literarischen Nachrichten. Ein Beitrag zur Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte der hadrianisch-frühantoninischen Zeit, Munich, 1991, p. 94, K I 73, pl. 83,3-5
Arachne, Datenbank und kulturelle Archive des Forschungsarchiv für Antike Plastik Köln und des Deutsches Archäologisches Instituts, no. 36039

Condition

As shown and described, note damages to chin, mouth, and nose, surface weathered overall with areas of incrustation
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

For a statue of the deified Antinous depicted in the guise of Dionysos see D. Kleiner, Roman Sculpture, New Haven, 1992, fig. 208.

Antinous, a native of Bithynia in Asia Minor, was Hadrian's favorite. Based on the account given by Cassius Dio, LXIX.11, Chris Scarre writes (Chronicle of the Roman Emperors, London, 1995, pp. 101-102): "Hadrian took him with him on his visit to Egypt in AD 130, and it was there that Antinous met his untimely and rather mysterious end. In his lost autobiography, Hadrian related the simple story that Antinous had fallen from a boat during a trip on the Nile. Other people saw a more sinister event, in which Antinous offered himself as a sacrifice for Hadrian in some bizarre rite. Whatever the case, Hadrian was deeply grieved by the death of his favorite and founded a city, Antinoopolis, on the spot where he had died. He even identified a new star which he believed embodied Antinous's soul."