A Roman Marble Cuirassed Bust of Mars, circa late 4th Century A.D.

his head turned slightly to his right, with short beard, eyes with incised irises and drilled crescentic pupils, and wavy hair surmounted by a Corinthian helmet pushed back high above the forehead, and wearing a cuirass decorated with a small gorgoneion, a chlamys fastened with a brooch on his left shoulder, mounted on a later variegated socle; restored are the tip of nose, lower edges of cheek-pieces, and small patch of drapery; the back apparently hollowed out in modern times.

European private collection, 18th Century (based on the restoration techniques)
acquired by the present owners on the Marseilles art market in the late 1960s

Several areas of reworking in drapery folds and brooch, rim of neck-guard, and on the underside of the bust, minor restoration in proper right corner of lower lip, possible retouching to proper right side of moustache, an area of fill on the restored nose of the helmet.
"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 bust is an example of Late Antique ideal sculpture. The specific form of eye-markings and the inexpressive face are reminiscent of a female head in the Vatican (C. Vorster, Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, vol. 127/28, 2012/13, pp. 421ff., fig. 22), which is dated to the late 4th Century A.D.

The fact that the back of the present bust was hollowed out in modern times suggests that it was once part of a tondo (cf. a tondo with cuirassed bust from Aquileia: LIMC, vol. 2, p. 522, no. 140, pl. 393; for Late-Antique tondi in general see Vorster, op. cit., pp. 447ff.). The bust represents in all likelihood the Roman god Mars (cf. the statue of Mars Ultor: LIMC, vol. 2, p. 515, no. 24a, pl. 384).

Restoring a Corinthian helmet with an actual nose as a nose-guard, as can be seen on this bust, was not uncommon in the 18th Century; cf. a head in the Villa Albani: P. Bol, ed., Forschungen zur Villa Albani. Katalog der antiken Bildwerke, vol. 2, 1990, p. 62f., no. 166, pl. 26f.