A Marble Figure of a Goddess, probably Kybele, Roman Imperial, 1st/2nd Century A.D.

seated on a throne and resting her feet on a fragmentary foot support, and wearing sandals, long chiton bound with a belt under the breasts, and himation draped over the left shoulder, her hair falling on each side of the neck in a serpentine and voluted lock, both forearms once applied separately and now missing.

Frédéric Pollette, French consular agent at Porto San Stefano, excavated by him on his property in the mid-1880s
European family collection, since the early 20th Century
Canadian private collection since 1976

Étienne Michon, "Notes sur des fouilles faites à Porto San Stefano," Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire, vol. 9, 1889, pp. 284-285, illus.
Salomon Reinach, Répertoire de la statuaire grecque et romaine, vol. III, Paris, 1904, p. 204, no. 2
Henri Graillot, Le culte de Cybèle, mère des dieux, à Rome et dans l'Empire romain, Paris, 1912, p. 426, note 1

As shown, surface weathered overall, probably due to exposure to elements, and with areas of moss and lichens, comparison with 1889 photo and Reinach line drawing shows that iron pins used to attach missing forearms corroded in the meantime, expanded, and caused the breaking off of some of the drapery on the outer edges of each arm at elbow level.
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.

In the late 19th Century Frédéric Pollette owned a fish canning business in Porto Santo Stefano (on the northeast slope of the Monte Argentario), served as a representative of the French Republic as one of its local consular agents in Italy, and in his spare time indulged in his antiquarian proclivities.

In the 1880s he organized archaeological excavations on the grounds of the villa he owned on a spur above the town. In the course of his investigations he uncovered the remains of a Roman rectangular (30 by 35 m.) building, dating to before the second half of the 2nd Century A.D; fragments of mosaic floors, marble plaques for wall revetment, and marble inscriptions attested to the building's lavish decoration.

Pollette's main discovery were three Roman marble headless figures, each one representing a different goddess: an almost lifesize figure of Artemis (lot 33), a lifesize figure of Kybele (lot 34), and an over-lifesize figure of Athena (Reinach, op. cit., p.  88, no. 6). The statue of Athena hit by repeated bombardments of Porto Santo Stefano in 1944; all that remains of it are part of the base, a foot, and the lower part of the drapery. Shortly before 1889 Pollette entrusted French scholar Étienne Michon with the publication of his statues. Since then and until now their whereabouts and condition had remained unknown.