Lot 8. A Greek Marble Head of a Youth, Attic, circa 340-330 B.C. Estimate 600,000 — 900,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.
turned slightly to his right, his expressive face with full parted lips and deep-set eyes beneath the prominent brow, the thick mass of curly hair freely worked; no restorations. Height 26 cm. 10 1/4 in.
Provenance: European private collection, 1960s (based on custom-made Belgian black marble base and aging painted restoration on lower lip as seen in 1983 auction catalogue profile photograph)
Münzen und Medaillen AG, Basel, Auktion 63, Kunstwerke der Antike, June 29, 1983, no. 93, illus., consigned by "J.G.," acquired by "Zimmermann", as per auctioneer's catalogue)
Robin Symes, Ltd., London
acquired from the above in 1986
Literature: Giorgos Despinis, "Note su alcuni naiskoi funerari da Merenda," in Gabrielli Capecchi, ed., In Memoria Enrico Paribeni, vol. 1, Rome, 1998, p. 146, pl. 35, 3-4 (1983 Basel auction catalogue photographs).
Note: The present head was originally part of an attic funerary monument of the late 4th Century B.C.; cf. the head of the youth from the so-called Ilissos-stele: C. Clairmont, Classical Attic Tombstones, vol. 2, 1993, pp. 821ff., no. 2.950. Particularly close in style appears to be a bearded head from an attic funerary monument in the Winnipeg Art Gallery: L. Stirling, Antike Kunst, vol. 44, 2001, pp. 13ff., pl. 7f.
Münzen und Medaillen AG, Basel, Auktion 63, Kunstwerke der Antike, June 29, 1983, no. 93.
Sotheby's. Ancient Marbles: Classical Sculpture and Works of Art, London, 13 Jun 2016, 02:00 PM