A MARBLE HEAD OF A BARBARIAN ("HASDRUBAL"), FIRST HALF OF THE 16TH CENTURY, OR EARLIER | A Marble Head of a Barbarian ("Hasdrubal")

with beard carved in low relief, slightly parted lips, long prominent moustache, high cheekbones, and large eyes, his hair falling in short curls over the forehead, comma-shaped curls over the temples, and long strands over the nape of the neck, and surmounted by a tall and loose Phrygian cap, the back roughly carved; nose and chin restored.

Giovanni Antonio and Vincenzo Stampa, Rome, active in Rome 1550-1580
French private collection, Paris, acquired in the 1970s
acquired by the present owner from the above

RECORDED
Raccolta Stampa, 1573, Nota delle teste colossi, no. 14: "Due teste colosse una di Annibale et l’altra di Asdrubale con il turbante in testa che fanno pariglia insieme – 20." (Documenti inediti per servire alla storia dei Musei d’Italia, vol. 2, 1879, p. 166)
drawing with note by Alfonso Chacón (Ciacconius), circa 1570–80, in Pesaro, Bibl. Oliveriana, Ms. 59, fol. 57: "Hasdrubalis ducis Africani strenuissimi Hannibalis fratris effigies ex antiqua marmorea statua exstante apud Ioanem Antonium et Vincentium Stampam cives Romanos antiquitatis studiosos" (Beatrice Palma Venetucci, ed., Pirro Ligorio e le erme di Roma, Rome, 1998, p. 16, fig. 8). PUBLISHED
Ulisse Aldroandi, "Delle statue antiche, che per tutta Roma, in diversi luoghi, & case si veggono," in: Lucio Mauro, Le antichità de la città di Roma, Venice, 1556, p. 172 ("[In casa di Maestro Vicenzo Stampa] E poi una testa col busto di un Re prigione, che ha un certo capuccio in testa")
Lucilla de Lachenal, Fortuna dei prigionieri Daci a Roma (Xenia Quaderni, vol. 8), Rome, 1987, p. 42

Nose and entire chin, including lower part of proper left jaw, restored in plaster; top of hat chipped all around; flaw in marble on proper left top side of hat; back roughly carved; chips and abrasions overall.
"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."

The present head of "Asdrubale" and its apparently lost companion head of "Annibale" (Ciacconius, Pesaro, fol. 55: Palma Venetucci, op. cit., p. 216, fig. 225) were part of a collection of 291 objects offered by the Stampa brothers to Alfonso II d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, in 1573. "Leading antiquarians and dealers in Rome from the late 1540s until the early 1580s, the Stampa brothers worked both jointly and individually. [...] The Stampa brothers were major suppliers to some of the leading collectors, including Pope Julius III, Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, Fulvio Orsini, Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga, and Cesare Gonzaga. In recommending Giovanni Antonio to the Duke of Mantua on 4 October 1572, Garimberto identified Giovanni Antonio as the man who had 'trovò la maggior parte delle cose più rare ch’abbia il Signor Cesare in questo genere, et altri signori et principi dentro e fuor d’Italia'" (C. Brown, Our Accustomed Discourse on the Antique, 1993, p. 233).