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A Greek marble head of Eros image 1
A Greek marble head of Eros image 2
Lot 99

A Greek marble head of Eros

28 November 2019, 10:30 GMT
London, New Bond Street

£20,000 - £30,000

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A Greek marble head of Eros
Late Hellenistic Period, circa 1st Century B.C.
The cherubic child depicted with lidded almond-shaped eyes, small nose, and rounded chin, his small, full mouth slightly open, his hair arranged into a central plait running up to his crown, with luxuriant locks either side curling at the tips and falling onto his forehead, held in place by a fillet, 15.2cm high

Footnotes

Provenance:
Private collection, MA, acquired in Rome in the 1950s.
with Phoenix Ancient Art, 2008 (cat. no. 1, no. 17).
Private collection, Paris.

The child wears a band in his hair, which may represent a ribbon or, perhaps, a metallic diadem. If the latter is correct, this could indicate that the head is in fact a portrait of a noble child, as the diadem in Hellenistic art was utilised as a signifier of those belonging to a princely family.

Additional information

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