Roman Marble Head of a Woman
1st-early 3rd century A.D. Carved in the round with youthful features; large eyes with thickened eyelids, especially the lower lid, well-defined eyebrows forming two long arcs; small mouth with fleshy lips and deep corners; the hair parted at the centre and forming two symmetrical bands of wavy locks leaving the ears uncovered, secured with a ribbon and gathered at the nape of the neck to a small braid with a low hanging knot; mounted on a custom-made display stand. Cf. Scarpati, G., Ritratto Femminile, in Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Le Collezioni, a cura di Carlo Gasparro e Rita, Paris/Milan, 2013, n.131, p.193; Fileri, E., Ritratto Femminile, in Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Le Collezioni, a cura di Carlo Gasparri e Rita, Paris/Milan, 2013, n.266, p.366.2.95 kg total, 24.5 cm high including base (9 5/8 in.). 19th-20th century collection, based on the stand. Ex German collection, 1980s. with HVMC Auctions, Monaco, 12 May 2021, lot 99.Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna.This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11761-202174. The arrangement of the hair is characteristic of female portraits of the late Antoninian to early Severan age. The head finds comparisons with a female portrait in the National Roman Museum, depicting an elderly woman of the Antoninian age, and with another female portrait in the National Roman Museum, dated to the third decade of the 3rd century A.D., reworked in the Tetrarchic Period, with the hairstyle falling within the so-called 'Nest Frisur' of the Severan age. [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website.]