Cypriot head of a king or god, 5th century BC
Limestone
Height 44.5cm
8981
Sold
Very large head of a bearded male, of a style that either represents a king or a god. His hair is dressed in a fringe of tight locks beneath a laurel wreath, a long moustache falls over his beard of stylised hooked curls. Nose and lower part of beard restored.
A very imposing piece. It has been suggested that these large-scale heads might represent the Achaemenid rulers of Cyprus; in any event the treatment of the hair is very reminiscent of Persian work of the period.
A very imposing piece. It has been suggested that these large-scale heads might represent the Achaemenid rulers of Cyprus; in any event the treatment of the hair is very reminiscent of Persian work of the period.
Provenance
Private collection (M.M.) UKPrivate collection, London, UK
Private collection, USA; acquired at Sotheby's in 1985
Private collection, New York, USA
Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig, Switzerland; acquired November 2011 from Charles Ede
Literature
Compare T. Spiteris, The Art of Cyprus (London, 1970), p.181 (for the features) and for the beard see A. M. Nielsen, Corpus of Cypriote Antiquities Vol.8 Cypriote Antiquities in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen (Gothenburg, 1983), no.43Publications
Christie's, London, UK, Fine Antiquities, 28th November 1979, lot 83Sotheby's, New York, USA, Antiquities and Islamic Art, 8th-9th February 1985, lot 73
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