Description
PRESUMED PORTRAIT OF CLEOPATRA VII Ptolemaic Greek art, c. 1st c. BC White marble H. 31.1 cm Provenance Former Mentezan Collection, Belgium, 1972 Ex-Christie's NY, Dec. 11, 2009 estimated $70,000 / 90,000, sold $86,500 This portrait depicts a young woman, her head turned slightly to the right, with an oval face characterized by convex lidded eyes under shaped eyebrows, her small mouth with protruding lips pursed in a slight smile pinched into a slight smile, the chin rounded, the hair tied in a large diadem, from which curls escape along the forehead and covering the upper half of the two ears. At the top of the skull, there is a small mortise for the insertion of a crown, and traces of a small knot at the front of her tiara. This head is reminiscent of the portrait identified as Cleopatra VII found in the Villa dei Quintilii in Rome in 1784, and now kept in the Vatican (fig. 1), inv. no. 38511. Both portraits share an oval face with youthful features, wide open eyes and a small, fleshy mouth. In our portrait, the hair was either reworked in antiquity or originally made of another material, which was a common practice in Ptolemaic marble statuary. A Greek marble portrait of a queen, possibly Cleopatra VII. Depicted as a young woman, her head turned slighlty to her right, with an oval face, her convex lidded eyes beneath modelled brows, her small mouth with protruding lips pursed into a slight smile, the chin rounded, the hair bound in a broad diadem, with ringlets below the diadem along the forehead and covering the upper half of both ears. A small drilled mortice at the crown for insertion of an attribute, traces of a small top knot at the front of her diadem. 121/4 in. (31,1 cm) high. Ca. 1stcentury B.C. This head recalls the portrait identified as Cleopatra VII that was found at the Villa of the Quintilii, Rome, 1784, and now in the Vatican (fig.1), inv. no. 38511. Both portraits share the oval face with a youthful countenance, wide open eyes and short mouth. With the present head, the hair was either reworked in antiquity, or was originally finished in supplementary material, which is typical for Ptolemaic statuary in marble.
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PRESUMED PORTRAIT OF CLEOPATRA VII Ptolemaic Greek art, c. 1st c. BC White marble H. 31.1 cm Provenance Former Mentezan Collection, Belgium, 1972 Ex-Christie's NY, Dec. 11, 2009 estimated $70,000 / 90,000, sold $86,500 This portrait depicts a young woman, her head turned slightly to the right, with an oval face characterized by convex lidded eyes under shaped eyebrows, her small mouth with protruding lips pursed in a slight smile pinched into a slight smile, the chin rounded, the hair tied in a large diadem, from which curls escape along the forehead and covering the upper half of the two ears. At the top of the skull, there is a small mortise for the insertion of a crown, and traces of a small knot at the front of her tiara. This head is reminiscent of the portrait identified as Cleopatra VII found in the Villa dei Quintilii in Rome in 1784, and now kept in the Vatican (fig. 1), inv. no. 38511. Both portraits share an oval face with youthful features, wide open eyes and a small, fleshy mouth. In our portrait, the hair was either reworked in antiquity or originally made of another material, which was a common practice in Ptolemaic marble statuary. A Greek marble portrait of a queen, possibly Cleopatra VII. Depicted as a young woman, her head turned slighlty to her right, with an oval face, her convex lidded eyes beneath modelled brows, her small mouth with protruding lips pursed into a slight smile, the chin rounded, the hair bound in a broad diadem, with ringlets below the diadem along the forehead and covering the upper half of both ears. A small drilled mortice at the crown for insertion of an attribute, traces of a small top knot at the front of her diadem. 121/4 in. (31,1 cm) high. Ca. 1stcentury B.C. This head recalls the portrait identified as Cleopatra VII that was found at the Villa of the Quintilii, Rome, 1784, and now in the Vatican (fig.1), inv. no. 38511. Both portraits share the oval face with a youthful countenance, wide open eyes and short mouth. With the present head, the hair was either reworked in antiquity, or was originally finished in supplementary material, which is typical for Ptolemaic statuary in marble.
