Hellenistic head of Venus, c.2nd-1st century BC
Marble
Height: 29cm
11648
Sold
Further images
Hellenistic head of Aphrodite expertly carved from a bright white marble. The goddess is shown turning her head to the left, her eyes heavily lidded, her facial features delicate and feminine, the lips are small but plump. Her wavy hair is centrally parted and pulled back into a chignon, a few tendrils reaching over the headband that holds her hair in place. The top of the head and the bun are roughly carved, and a thick indentation below the bun indicating that this area was all once covered by a veil and held in place by a ribbon. The break lines at the neck show that this head was once inserted into a separately carved body. Chips to the lip and chin, the end of the nose missing.
Provenance
Private collection, Switzerland; acquired 1975 from the London marketPrivate collection S.L., Bern, Switzerland; acquired 2015 from the Swiss market
Exhibitions
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Genève, 2002-2014Literature
Compare Charles Ede, Collecting Antiquities: An Introductory Guide (London, 1976), no.201
Join our mailing list
Please fill in your details below if you would like to be added to our mailing list.
* denotes required fields
We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.