Lot 96
SABAEAN HEAD OF A MAN
SOUTHERN ARABIA, 3RD – 1ST CENTURY B.C.
£2,520
Classical Ancient Art // Form Through Time
Auction: Form Through Time - 21st March 2024 at 2pm
Description
carved pale alabaster, the strong neck rising to a rounded chin, the face bearing a compact incised mouth, broad rectangular nose parting two almond shaped eyes, raised on a bespoke wooden mount
Dimensions
20.3cm tall
Provenance
Provenance:
Gimpel Fils, London, acquired Sotheby’s, London, 1st February 1971, lot 80
Footnote
Note:
The present piece is an example of the enigmatic sculpture produced by the wealthy south Arabian kingdoms at the turn of the first millennium B.C. With the facial features stripped to the essence of form, it served as a votive object, and was intended to fit within a small rectangular niche within a ritual site. The hair would likely have been executed separately in plaster and attached. In style, it bears similarities to two similar heads formerly part of the Giraud and Carolyn Foster Collection, now housed at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore (accession numbers 21.22 & 21.23).
