Roman Marble Head of Mercury, 100 Ad

Roman Marble Head of Sophocles Circa 1st-2nd Century Marble This fine Roman marble head preserves the proper left side of the face of a middle-aged man, with broad nose, soft lips, and bearded chin. The short beard and sideburns have been finely carved with a flat chisel, to render the soft, wavy strands of hair. The cheekbone, undereye, and nasolabial folds have been delicately modelled in the marble by a skilled hand. In a letter from 1975, the former director of Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, suggested that the head could depict the Ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles. Few figures in the Classical world stand aside Sophocles (c. 496-406 BC), inarguably the best known of the Athenian tragedians, in terms of the impact his works have had on the history of art and literature. The psychological depth he achieves in the seven of the 123 of his plays that have survived to the present day - most notably the three Theban plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus - not only inspired the Athenians, among whom Sophocles was honoured as a hero long after his death, but in our own time, have provoked landmark works on phychoanalysis and literary criticism, by thinkers like René Girard and, most famously, Sigmund Freud. In its masterful treatment of the marble this fragment sensitively captures the features of one of the most important playwrights of all time. Height on stand: 7.9 inches (20 cm). Provenance: Collection of Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau...

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’...

Roman Marble Fragment of jupiter Circa 2nd-3rd Century A.D. Measure: Height: 19.7 cm This beautiful Roman fragmentary statuette depicts Jupiter, the king of the gods, here recognisable from his two chief attributes, the eagle with outstretched wings - according the Pseudo-Hyginus, singled out by Jupiter because ''it alone, men say, strives to fly straight into the rays of the rising sun'' - and the base of the scepter, which remains at the side of the left foot, an aspect likely borrowed from the statue of Zeus at Olympia, once one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Though much of the original piece has been lost, the subtle anatomical detail in the feet mark this out as a piece of exceptional quality, and the work of an artist of particular talent and patience - as Johann Winckelmann once said of the famous Belvedere Torso, ''if you contemplate this with a quiet eye [...] the god will at once become visible in this stone.'' This fragment once caught the eye of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle (1694-1758), a Knight of the Garter and among the most prolific collectors of his day. The piece, acquired during his travels to Rome, was proudly displayed on an alcove of the Western Staircase of Castle Howard...

Roman marble Fragment of a Right Foot with Sandal Circa 1st - 2nd Century A.D. An evocative Roman marble fragment, preserving the front portion of an over-lifesized sandalled foot. The toes, nails, and bridge of the foot have been sensitively carved. The outer sole of the sandal remains, with delicate, pointed straps joining between the first two toes in a diamond shape. This fragment once belonged to Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau...

Roman miniature bust of a noble woman, carved marble, Severan Dynasty, c. 225 A.D. Rare and particularly elegant ‘wig portrait’ of a noble woman, belonging to the early 3rd Century - a style distinctive of Severan Dynasty female portrait busts, in which part of the head has been chiselled away to allow for the addition of a separate hairpiece, in many cases from a darker material, in order to create an almost painterly effect, in the interplay of different coloured stones. The degree of naturalism and emotional depth achieved in a piece of such a small scale implies a sculptor of great talent. The subtle parting of the lips, in combination with her upturned, vacant gaze and tired eyes, conveys a pensive mood, and even a quiet melancholy. A woman strolls the town in thick wigs bought with gold, Then buys new hair to complement the old. And having bought, she doesn’t blush! Right there she buys, Before Alcides’ and the Muses’ eyes. (Ovid, Ars Amatoria, III, 161-168) The fashion of wig-wearing in this period, as well as its emulation in the wig portrait bust, is widely attributed to Julia Domna...

Egyptian head of a man, carved granite. 18th Dynasty, circa 1550-1292 B.C. Carved in beautiful dark granite, this head depicts an elite individual, perha...

A richly weathered marble Roman style head with skilfully carved features and full lips. The piece would have been part of a larger statue or carving. The marble has a lovely warm pa...

Roman Antique marble sculpture, 2nd century AD, South of France. This sculpture is a Roman Antiquity. Frontal section of a Roman Sarcophagus. Made...

A Roman Marble Sculpture of Hercules, Circa 1st / 2nd Century AD The sculpture is nude except for the draped Nemean lion skin. Provenance: Sotheby's London, December 14, 1981, lot ...

Stucco head of a Roman figure. Signed on the back (unknown). The head is separate from the base.

Mid 20th century sounvenir reproduction of an ancient Roman sun dial. Fan shaped metal dial plate, decoratively aged, with etched / gilded rays and Roman numerals indicating the hour...

Very large feminine head crowned by a tiara Roman period, 3rd - 4th century AD Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire (Palmira?) gray basalt H 55 cm Old collec...