A rare Roman marble bust of Aphrodite dating to the 1st century AD, formerly in the celebrated collection of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke at Wilton House, will be offered this May by Lyon & Turnbull in Form Through Time, an auction of exceptional antiquities, natural history objects and works that speak across centuries.
Antiquities
The Wilton House Aphrodite: A Rare Imperial Roman Portrait Bust
4 May 2026
Alex Tweedy
The finely carved sculpture presents the goddess Aphrodite with a composed and introspective gaze directed straight ahead. Her face is softly modelled, framed by gently arched brows, a straight, well-defined nose, and heavy-lidded eyes that convey a serene, idealised calm. The small mouth, with subtly articulated lips, lends the features a restrained sensuality typical of Roman interpretations of earlier Greek prototypes.
The hair is rendered with particular care and sophistication: parted at the centre and drawn back in undulating waves that frame the face before being gathered behind the head. Loose strands appear in low relief along the temples, while longer locks descend over the shoulders and contrast with the shorter ringlets carved at the nape of the neck. The sculpture’s elegant balance of naturalism and idealisation reflects the aesthetic sensibilities of the early Roman Imperial period.
A distinguished aristocratic provenance
The bust is first definitively recorded in the collection of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke by 1751, when it was published in A Description of the Pictures, Statues, Bustos, Basso Relievos, and Other Curiosities at the Earl of Pembroke’s House at Wilton by R. Cowdry. There it was described as “Berenice the Mother; her Hair in a particular Manner.”
The sculpture most likely entered the Wilton collection earlier under Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke, the noted antiquarian responsible for assembling the majority of the antiquities at Wilton. A closely related bust illustrated in 1724 by the antiquarian William Stukeley in his manuscript catalogue of the Wilton marbles bears striking similarities to the present sculpture, particularly in the refined treatment and arrangement of the hair.
Later references by the scholar Adolf Michaelis in 1882 describe a bust identified as “Poppaea” within the Wilton collection; however, the description does not correspond to the sculpture illustrated by Stukeley. It is therefore most plausible that Stukeley’s drawing represents the present bust and that the earlier inscription reflects a period misidentification.
Further insight into its early history is provided by a Greek inscription carved on the surface reading “BEPENIKH MHTHR” (“Berenice Mother”). The attribution is erroneous but aligns with the practice of the 8th Earl of Pembroke, who frequently reassigned identities to ancient sculptures in his collection according to his own interpretations. As noted by the scholar Peter Stewart, several inscriptions at Wilton were retrospectively added and in some cases so crudely cut that they may have been carved by the Earl himself.
C. 1ST CENTURY A.D.
ROMAN MARBLE BUST OF APHRODITE / THE WILTON HOUSE APHRODITE
carved marble, 51cm tall (excl. socle)
£60,000 - £80,000 + fees
Possible links to the Mazarin collection
The form of the sculpture’s socle has also been noted by Stewart as resembling examples associated with the famed Mazarin Collection. Michaelis records that a substantial group of marbles was acquired for Wilton House from this Parisian assemblage during the early eighteenth century, when the Palais Mazarin was being reorganised in connection with the financial ventures of John Law.
From Wilton House to the present day
The bust remained at Wilton House for more than two centuries and was published several times during the eighteenth century. It remained in situ at Wilton House until its eventual sale at Christie’s in 1961, in the dispersal of a significant portion of the Wilton antiquities. In that sale it appeared alongside a number of important Roman sculptures and was erroneously catalogued as a work of the seventeenth century. Prior to the sale it appeared in a photograph published in The Times depicting Sidney Herbert, 16th Earl of Pembroke alongside several notable sculptures from the collection (it can be seen in the background to the left of Herbert).
A testament to Roman classicism
Combining refined workmanship with a compelling sense of calm idealisation, the bust stands as a distinguished example of Roman portrait sculpture shaped by Classical Greek models. It reflects both the artistic tastes of the early Imperial period and the complex collecting history of one of Britain’s most significant aristocratic collections.
Objects from the Wilton House marbles have since been dispersed across the globe and are now held in major museums and distinguished private collections.
The bust will be offered in Form Through Time, taking place in May 2026 at Lyon & Turnbull London.
Literature
R. Cowdry, A description of the pictures, statues, busto's basso-relievo's, and other curiosities at the Earl of Pembroke's house at Wilton, 1751, p. 48.
Martyn, Thomas, The English connoisseur : containing an account of whatever is curious in painting, sculpture, &c., in the palaces and seats of the nobility and principal gentry of England, both in town and country, volume II, 1766, p. 148.
J. Kennedy, A description of the pictures, statues, bustos, basso-relievos, and other curiosities at the Earl of Pembroke's house at Wilton : in the antiques of this collection are contain'd the whole of Cardinal Richelieu's and Cardinal Mazarine's, and the greatest part of the Earl of Arundel's; besides several particular pieces purchas'd at different times, Salisbury, 1769, p. 49.
Richardson, George. Ædes Pembrochianæ: a new account and description of the statues, bustos, relievos, paintings Medals, and other antiquities and curiosities in Wilton-House. 1788, p. 61.
The Times, June 1961
