113 - A ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF FRAGMENT OF MELEAGER LEANING ON HIS SPEAR, 2ND CENTURY AD

A ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF FRAGMENT OF MELEAGER LEANING ON HIS SPEAR, 2ND CENTURY AD Roman Empire. Finely carved in relief with the youthful hero Meleager, one arm raised alongside his head, firmly grasping the vertical shaft of a spear on which the hero rests. His head inclined beneath thick curling hair bound by a fillet, the sensitively modeled face with almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and slightly parted lips. Provenance: The private collection H., Paris, France, acquired in the 1950s and thence by descent within the family. With Christoph Bacher, Vienna, Austria. The private collection of Michael Grabner, Vienna, acquired from the above in 2018. A copy of a certificate of authenticity from Christoph Bacher, confirming the dating and provenance above, accompanies this lot. A copy of the invoice from Christoph Bacher, dated 24 May 2018, confirming the dating and provenance above, and stating a discounted purchase price of the present lot of EUR 5,100 or approx. EUR 6,600 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing, accompanies this lot. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, obvious losses, mineral deposits, signs of weathering and erosion, and scattered encrustations. French Export License: A permanent French certificat d’exportation d’un bien culturel, no. 189822, dated 27 November 2017, has been granted by the French Ministry of Culture. A copy accompanies this lot. Weight: 3.7 kg Dimensions: Size 17 x 20 cm (excl. stand), 20 x 21 cm (incl. stand) With an associated stand. (2) Meleager was a favored paradigm of youthful heroism on Roman mythological sarcophagi, his hunt of the Calydonian boar evoking courage, beauty, and aristocratic hunting prowess, while his death lent the myth a distinctly funerary meaning. A closely corresponding scene appears on the Meleager sarcophagus in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Rome, circa 180-190 AD, illustrated in Paul Zanker and Bjorn Christian Ewald, Mit Mythen leben: Die Bilderwelt der romischen Sarkophage, Munich, 2004 (fig. 1). The present fragment appears to preserve a particularly distinctive moment from this narrative rather than the hunt itself. On the right short side of the Doria Pamphilj sarcophagus, Meleager stands leaning on his spear opposite Atalanta, who mourns the loss of the boar hide, with a bearded attendant between them. The same composition is illustrated and discussed in Carl Robert, Die antiken Sarkophag-Reliefs, vol. III.2, Einzelmythen: Hippolytos-Meleagros, Berlin, 1904 (fig. 2). The raised arm, hand clasped around the spear, thick curls, and contemplatively inclined head of the present figure correspond closely to this iconographic type, supporting its identification as Meleager and its probable origin from a larger sarcophagus cycle. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 12 April 2022, lot 109 Price: USD 16,380 or approx. EUR 17,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Roman marble sarcophagus fragment, circa early 3 rd century AD Expert remark: Compare the related fragmentary sarcophagus context and high-relief carving with prominently modeled heads. Note the larger size (44.4 cm long). Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s London, 6 July 2016, lot 88 Price: GBP 8,125 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Roman marble relief head of Meleager, circa 2 nd century AD, probably from a sarcophagus panel depicting the Calydonian boar hunt Expert remark: Compare the identical subject and dating, attribution to a sarcophagus, and closely related treatment of the youthful face, thick curling hair bound with a narrow fillet, and high-relief carving. Note the size (16 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Bonhams London, 5 October 2011, lot 138 Mid-Estimate: GBP 10,000 or approx. EUR 18,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Roman marble sarcophagus fragment, Hercules and the Erymanthian boar, 2 nd century AD Expert remark: Compare the related fragmentary sarcophagus context and high-relief carving with a prominently modeled youthful head. Note the larger size (38 cm wide). Due to length restriction on Drouot this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.