Ca. 19th century AD.
A Neoclassical marble bust of an Emperor (Marcus Aurelius?). Finely sculpted and majestically wrought, the emperor is clad in a tunic and is depicted in his later years, with a pensive countenance. the hair crowning his head is a drilled mass of luscious curls that covers the tops of his ears. These frame the face along his jawline to form a pointed beard that flows into curls below his chin. The thick downturned mustache is divided at the philtrum. His long oval face, with bulging articulated eyes defined by thick, half-closed lids, sit below arching brows. Atop a voluted index plaque, on a later socle. For similar see: Christie's Live Auction 2605, Antiquities, Lot. 171.
Size: 160mm x 85mm; Weight: 400g
Provenance: Private UK collection; from an old British collection formed in the 1990s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.