Lot 15
ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT BUST OF A LADY
HADRIANIC PERIOD, C. 125 - 130 A.D.
£200,201
Classical Ancient Art // Form Through Time
Auction: Classical Ancient Art - 21st March 2024 at 2pm
Description
carved marble, depicting an older lady of the middle Hadrianic period, her gaze fixed directly ahead, with full features, the hair natural and otherwise braided in tight curls around the crown of the head and knotted in a bow above the forehead, the folds of her garment sensitively rendered
Dimensions
Provenance
Provenance:
John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley (1767 – 1831), Cobham Hall, thence by descent
Sotheby’s, London, Cobham Hall, July 22nd 1957, lot 398
Published:
C. Vermeule and D. v. Bothmer, 'Notes on a New Edition of Michaelis: Ancient Marbles in Great Britain' (Part Three:1), American Journal of Archaeology 63.2 (April 1959), p. 149
Footnote
Note:
The present piece is a privately commissioned bust of an aristocratic lady of the 2nd century A.D., both the portrait style and distinctive front tied plaits are diagnostic of the middle-late Hadrianic period (cf. in this respect: Felletti Maj, Ritratti 104, no 198; Richter, Roman Portraits no 65; Ashmole, Ince no 91). The style of the drapery depicted was fully developed by the 120’s A.D., for comparison, see the bust of the Empress Sabina, Museo del Prado, accession number E000210.
In this bust, we can observe how naturalistic depictions became increasingly preferred in the Hadrianic Period above the more idealised depictions of the earlier Trajanic Period (exemplified by lot one of this sale, the bust of Pompeia Plotina). In contrast, the shift toward more naturalistic depictions during the Hadrianic Period reflects changing artistic sensibilities and philosophical trends. Under Emperor Hadrian, there was a growing interest in individualism, introspection, and realism in art. This shift away from idealisation toward a more nuanced and lifelike portrayal of human subjects reflected broader philosophical currents, including the influence of Stoicism and the embrace of a more contemplative and inward-focused approach to aesthetics.
