Italian, Rome, 17th century

Salsta Castle, near Uppsala, Sweden, until circa 1976;
acquired by the present owner in 1982

Overall the condition of the marble is good with wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age with some particular dirt to the front of the neck, nose and ears. The surface has slightly discoloured throughout. There are a few chips and nicks, including to the top of the ears, the outside of the eyebrows, the tip of the nose, and the edge of the truncation. The back of the neck is roughly finished. There are a few minor inclusions to the surface consistent with material, including to the bridge of the nose, next to the left eye, and to the proper right cheek. The bust is joined to the socle with help of plaster. There is some minor worming to the wood socle consistent with material and there is some wear to the paint at the edges. There is a naturally occurring split running up from the lower edge of the base which has been filled with plaster.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This striking all'antica bust bears a close resemblance to the so-called 'Pseudo Seneca', which became widely known from 1570, when a version was identified as a portrait of the Stoic philosopher in Theodor Galle's republication of Fulvio Orsini's Imagines et Elogia Virorum Illustrium et Eruditor ex Antiquis Lapidibus et Nomismatib[us]... The present bust stands firmly in the tradition of classicising busts created in Rome by sculptors in the circle of Nicolas Cordier (1567-1612) in the first decades of the 17th century. Given the absence of shoulders and the roughed out surface at the back of the neck, it can be safely concluded that the bust was intended to have been set into a pair of antique or polychromed marble shoulders. Such an arrangement had come into vogue thanks to the multimarble figures created by Cordier in Rome, and continued through the 17th century. The subject, together with the classicising facial features and blank eyes, which lend to the sitter a sense of timelessness, aligns the bust with marbles by sculptors such as Ippolito Buzio (or Buzzi) (1562-1634), who was famed for his antique restorations for Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi (1595-1632), as well as for his contemporary portraiture. Compare, in particular, with the portrait busts of unidentified members of the Aldobrandini family in their family tomb at Santa Maria in Sopra Minerva, Rome (see Pressouyre, op. cit., figs. 316-217). The subject of Seneca would have appealed to a restorer of antiquities, and would have made a fitting addition to the collection of a scholarly Roman patron.

The wavy cropped hair, together with the exaggerated tendons in the neck, and the wistful, pained expression, look forward to the innovations of the Roman Baroque. The absence of undercutting and drilling in the beard, however, and the relative lack of surface polish, would indicate a date in the first decades of the 17th century. The Psuedo Seneca was a popular model during this period, perhaps thanks to Galle's identification, and a version of the head can be found in the Ashmolean, which was formerly in the Arundel collection, and is believed to have been owned by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) (see Vickers, op. cit.).

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Pressouyre, Nicolas Cordier recherches sur la sculpture à Rome autour de 1600, Rome, 1984, figs. 316-317; M. Vickers, 'Rubens's bust of 'Seneca'?', The Burlington Museum, vol. 119, no. 894, Sept. 1977, pp. 643-645