Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 4th century CE. An attractive fragment of a marble relief displaying the left shoulder and arm of a man draped in the thick, billowing folds of a toga. Bending at the elbow, his arm seems to extend slightly forward as his fingers slant slightly downward. The rich fabrics in which the figure is dressed suggest that he may be a member of the Roman noble class. Size: 4.5" W x 6.5" H (11.4 cm x 16.5 cm); 6.8" H (17.3 cm) on included custom stand.
Marble statuary, reliefs, and cladding were ubiquitous in the Roman world, as the remains of the preserved cities at Herculaneum and Pompeii demonstrate. Their sculpture was intended to conjure human vitality, and was inspired by the works of Polykleitos, who became the model to which sculptors aspired in Greco-Roman as well as later Western European art. Greco-Roman statuary, unlike that of the other Mediterranean civilizations like Egypt, Persia, etc., celebrated the naturalistic human form. This included representations of their gods, who appear as if living people, dressed as if they are elite citizens. For example, the famous statue of Hades with Cerberus, his three-headed dog, today on display at the Archaeological Museum of Crete, has an extremely realistic quality despite its fantastical nature, down to the details on each dog head. This suggests an intriguing, more personal relationship with the gods rather than the more abstract or magical portrayals of other contemporary societies.
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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#144109
Condition
Fragment of a larger piece. Repair to bottom area with restoration over break lines. Chip to shoulder. Expected nicks, abrasions, and softening of detail, commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice with light earthen deposits throughout.