Exceptional Roman Bronze Statuette of the Goddess Venus - 50 AD

A remarkably fine example of Archaic sculpture.  A figure of a discophoros, or discus bearer, standing with his right leg forward, gripping a discus in his right hand, the left arm raised with an open palm. Described with admiration in Münzen und Medaillen's 1961 auction, "The figure is a masterpiece and illustrates with rare vividness the essence of good Etruscan sculpture...

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’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...

“This 149-gram slice of the Gadamis 004 lunar meteorite contains a wide variety of sizes of light-colored angular anorthositic clasts. These silicate c...

A simple and elegant Roman bronze hand mirror, late Republic Period, circa 1st century, Italy. The bronze mirror of simple form. The round face with a pierced border design. The openwork handle...

Mask of a bearded deity, short beard and hair braided in the characteristic high hairstyle, with layered ringlets on either side. 4 cm (h) Green patina ...

Large bust weight of Venus with silver inlaid eyes and celestial diadem,Roman culture,Germany,2nd-3rd century AD. The goddess is depicted nude, slightly gazing to her right with detailed silver inlaid eyes and firmly expressed lips. Her hair is piled high in two parts, loosely drawn back and tied in a chignon. The goddess has been depicted nude, wearing an impressive celestial diadem with three luminaries (two of them silver inlaid) and six lunae. Material: Bronze (copper alloys and lead), decorated with silver inlays. Traces of lead fillings for calibration of the weight Dimensions: Height 14 cm. Provenance: Old private coll. Munich, Germany before 1980. Later : Görny and Mosch GmbH, Munich, 1999/ Private coll. Schellingerhout, Nieuwenhagen, Netherlands (acquired in 1999) / ex private collection KS, Antwerp, Belgium. Certificate:Akanthos. Akanthos Ancient Art Antwerp Expertise For: Artefact: Bust weight of Venus (Aphrodite) with large celestial diadem and silver inlaid eyes. Country: Germany. Culture: Roman. Date: 2nd-3rd century AD. Material: Bronze (copper alloys), decorated with silver inlays. Traces of lead fillings for calibration of the weight Lit: Published and illustrated: GM Munich, 98 /1999 number 2307. Provenance: Old private coll. Munich, Germany before 1980. Later: Görny and Mosch GmbH, Munich, 1999/ Private coll. Schellingerhout, Nieuwenhagen, Netherlands (acquired in 1999) / ex private collection KS, Antwerp, Belgium. Remarks: Dimensions: Height: 14 cm. Steelyard weight...

A finely detailed appliqué with the face of a youth, wavy hair framing the circular face, with well defined eyes, pierced for inlays. 5.5 cm (h) Provenance: Ex Jean-Phillipe Mariaud de Serres...