Head of Honos. 2nd half 2nd century AD. H 13cm. Patinated fine crystalline marble. Almost full-size relief head of a woman facing right with a long, orientalizing corkscrew hairstyle held together by a bandage. There is a broken edge on the left side facing the relief ground. With certificate from Dei Bardi Art! Due to the seemingly oriental influences, attempts have been made to interpret the head as a portrait of Cleopatra VII of Egypt. However, an iconographically very similar figure can be found on a well-known wedding sarcophagus in San Lorenzo fuori le mura, where this figure appears in the bride's entourage. Scholarly literature interprets this figure as Honos, the god of honor. He often appears on historical reliefs as the emperor's companion, but also appears in the private sphere. The god already appears on Republican coins as a long-haired youth with corkscrew curls. Cf. C. Reinsberg, Vita Romana-Sarkophage, ASR I 3 (2006), cat. No. 113, p. 226 Pl. 63,2; 64,2. General information on Honos: LIMC V (1990), 498ff.; M.Pfanner, Der Titusbogen (1983), 69ff. Broken at the neck, otherwise only minimal wear. Provenance: From a German private collection. Acquired 2023 from dei Bardi Art, Belgium. Previously Belgian private collection, previously private collection Paris ca. 1960 - 1975.