15th Century and Earlier Busts

This painted limestone relief is an exquisite example of New Kingdom relief carving from the apogee of Egyptian artistic production. Carved in raised relief - a labour-intensive tech...

This fine Roman marble head fragment, with broad nose, soft lips, and bearded chin, captures the likeness of one of the most important playwrights of...

TOGATUS STATUETTE Depicting a male figure dressed in a toga and himation, held by his right hand. Presence of a prop on the right thigh, implying that this fragment was part of a sta...

DESCRIPTION: Etruscan sculpture head made with terracotta, the art represents a young man from the 4th century. It's a very decorative piece and the stat...

Egyptian Carved Stone Head Sculpture, mounted on ebonized pedestal. 56.5" H x 12.75" W x 12.75" D. Provenance: From an Upper East Side Collection. Keywords: Statue, Portrait Bust, Po...

This impressive bust is depicted with head turned slightly to the right and gaze lifted. His eyes are articulated, with the pupils indicated with a drill, giving the face a striking realism. The shoulders are draped with a cloak. Straight brows sit beneath a mass of thickly curling hair, which continues to a full beard. It is worked with great skill, evident in the heavy drill work articulating and highlighting the voluminous curls, and the highly polished surfaces, giving the appearance of soft skin. The contrast between these textures gives a chiaroscuro affect which is one of the main traits of the best Antonine busts. Roman marble portraits reached their apotheosis of craftmanship and technique under the Antonine emperors, as is evidenced in this masterful bust. The evolution of the style may be traced back to the emperor Hadrian, who was the first emperor to wear a full beard. The articulation of pupils and iris appears on busts of his lover Antinous, a novelty which continued in later Antonine portraits, such as this one. The features of this bust point to a possible identification of Emperor Lucius Verus...

A Roman marble trapezophorus in the Form of a Barbarian Dacian young figure. Circa 1st-2nd century A.D. Measure: height 24 1/4 inches (62 cm). Property from Mr. Radu Moldovan, Skokie, Illinois Provenance: B.C. Holland Gallery...

Head of a Satyr Roman, circa 2nd - 3rd century AD Carved and highly polished marble An extremely fine marble head of a satyr, depicted with ivy wreath, curly hair and pointed goat’s ear, the full lips slightly parted to reveal the creature’s clenched teeth. The head was once part of a relief with visible fragmentation on the left side. Almost completely worked in the round and carefully polished, the skill of the sculptor is particularly remarkable given the confined working space available for a relief carving, such as this. The Roman Imperial Period marked the expansion of the political and cultural influence of the Roman Empire. The period began with the reign of Augustus in 27 BC, immediately following Caesar’s assassination which ultimately ended Rome’s time as a republic. Soon after, Augustus’ defeat of Anthony and...

Hermes head sculpture. Greek Bust representing Hermes. Hermes is an Olympian deity, the God of Speed, in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Sculpted whi...

A Large European Carved Limestone Celtic Votive Head of a Male Warrior Wearing a Typical Flowing Moustache Small Beard and Curling Locks of Hair Stiffened with Lime Wash the Slit Mouth Open as if in Command Circa 1st Century BC - 1st Century AD Size: 31cm high, 22cm wide, 25cm deep - 12¼ ins high, 8¾ ins wide, 9¾ ins deep / 42cm high - 16½ ins high (with base) From about 500 BC, first Greek and later Roman historians mention peoples living in a large area of non-mediterranean Europe as Celts. These classical chroniclers seem to have recognised these communities as having sufficient shared cultural traditions to justify their being given a common name, ‘Keltoi’ by the Greeks, and ‘Celtae’ or ‘Galli’ by the Romans. The earliest allusions to Celts by such Greek historians as Herodotus (485 - 425 BC) were followed by Polybius (200 - 118 BC) and Livy (59 BC - AD 17) who discuss the expansion of the Celts from their central European homelands during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. They document the presence of Celts in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Asia Minor, specifically central Turkey. They testify to the successful Roman resistance to the Celts in Italy, after the ignominy of the sacking of Rome by them in 387 BC, and describe the huge defeat suffered by the Celts at the battle of Telemon in northern Italy in 225 BC. The Celts in Greece who sacked the sacred site of Delphi in 279 BC were defeated by King Antigonos Gonatas of Macedon in 278 - 277 BC and in Turkey by Altalus of Pergamon in 240 BC. The Celts in Spain fell under the shadow of Rome from 2nd Century BC and the Celtic heartland known by the Romans as ‘Gaul’ was conquered by the Romans under Julius Caesar in the mid 1st Century BC. Britain was not referred to as Celtic by the ancient historians, but Caesar recognised the close similarities between Britain and Gaul especially in their political organisation. Tacitus (55 - 120 AD) and others chronicled the conquest of Britain between 43 and 84 AD some mentioning the fierce nature of the Celts who went into battle naked. Celtic art therefore belongs to an artistic tradition in the early history of Europe which is no less important than that of the classical world. Art was central to Celtic identity and was closely related to the objects which it decorated. The Celts were used to seeing art as an integral part of their everyday lives. Provenance: Ex Finch and Co...

CELTIC GRANITE CARVED BUST OF A FEMALE FIGURE ORIGIN: FRANCE PERIOD: CELTE Height: 46 cm Length: 28 cm Depth: 16 cm Made of granite The body shapes of this figure are scarce...

A terracotta bust of Christ as The Redeemer Tuscany or Emilia Romagna, late 15th century Measures: 46 x 43 x 21 cm This powerful, moving bust of...

This Roman bust came out of a prominent Pasadena estate.

Sculpted clay head of a beautiful African woman. Light sandy brown with rough texture. A hand sculpted piece. Head adorned with a decorative circular pattern...

A stunning and rare piece, this large petrified wood specimen features a black colouration accented by beautiful white natural veining. A hollowed-out space at its centre adds visual...

Wonderful carved stone sculpture depicting Christ, modeled by a master sculptor in the 15th century, carved entirely by hand. This sculpture is known as Ecce homo. As tradition tell...

A fragment of Terracotta statue displayed on wood block stand from ancient Indian continent dated to the Gupta period (4th-6th century). The head of the...

A collection of three carved sandstone heads on wood display stands from Northern India Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, circa 11-12th century. Fragmented from large whole-body statue, these red sandstone heads exhibit very fine carving, typical of Northern Indian Art during the medieval time. Two males and one female, they represent heavenly deities Yakshas and Yakshini. Their facial features were detailed with large almond-shape eyes under thin arched eyebrows. The males have characteristic facial hairs including curvy moustaches and tightly combed beard, both finely carved, and the female wears large spoke loop earrings. They all don fantastical hairstyles with serpent-like spiral locks and some with elaborate knots on top and above the sideburns. These deities are likely celestial musicians. A pair of full-body statues (lot 70) were offered for sale in Christie's Indian and Southeast Asian Art...

Daoist sage, official, or possibly a Buddhist acolyte. A large, thick and heavy cast iron statue of a head. Custom vintage carved hardwood stand finishes off this outstanding and decorative bust, circa 10th...