Fragmentary Bronze Portrait Head of the Emperor Augustus or a Member of the Julio-Claudian Family

From a large figure, his head turned to the right, his face with aquiline nose and eyes meant for inlay.

h. 32 cm

Early 1st century AD

Bronze

Provenance

Excavated in December 1880 beneath the foundations of the Anglican Church of All Saints at the intersection of via del Balbuino and the Via del Gesù e Maria in Rome. Renowned archaeologist Rudolfo Lanciani (1845-1929) was involved in the excavation. Sold from the above to Giuseppe Scalambrini, antiquarian in Rome, c. 1880. This head is one of the three complete heads found in this cache along with numerous bronze fragments; two further heads were restored from the latter. Three of these heads went to the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore and one to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome (D. Kent Hill "A Cache of Bronze Portraits of the Julio-Claudians", in American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 43, 1939, p. 407)
Ex Roger Videau Collection
Consigned by the above to Drouot-Richelieu, 'Antiquités égyptiennes, grecques et romaines', Paris, June 2, 1989, lot 130
Purchased at the above by Michel Cohen, 'Mythes et Légendes', Paris
Consigned by the above to Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, February 1, 1990
Purchased from the above by Patricia Kluge, New York, July 1, 1990
Sotheby’s, New York, sale 'The collection of Patricia Kluge', June 8, 2010, lot 344
Acquired at the Maastricht Art Fair from Gordian Weber Kunsthandel, March 1, 2011

Publications

R. Accademia dei Lincei, Notizie degli scavi di antichita communicated al socio G. Forelli 1880 (Luglio-Dicembre), Rome, January 1880, p. 466
R. Lanciani, "Supplementi al Volume VI del Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum", Bullettino della Commissione archeologica comunale di Roma, Rome, January 1, 1880, p. 30, pl. 1, fig. 3
H. Jordan, Topographie der Stadt Rom im Altertum, i, 3, January 1, 1907, p. 451
D. Kent Hill, "A Cache of Bronze Portraits of the Julio-Claudians", American Journal of Archaeology, Archaeological Institute of America, July- September 1939, vol. 43, no.3, p. 401, p. 402, p. 407 (fig. 2)
C. Pietrangeli, Bullettino della Commissione archeologica comunale di Roma, Rome, 1946-1948, 1949, vol. 72, "su un ritratto bronzeo dei musei capitolini", Fn. 2
V. Poulsen, Claudische Prinzen, Studien zur Ikonographie des erstens Römischen Kaiserhauses, June 1960, p. 19, Fn. 33
H. Jucker, "Die Prinzen auf dem Augustus-Relief in Ravenna", Mélanges d’histoire et d’archéologie Offerts à Paul Collart, January 1, 1976, p. 262, fig. 140 B
K. Fittschen, in P. Zanker (ed.), Katalog der Römischen Porträts in den Capitolinischen Museen und den anderen Kommunalen Sammlungen der Stadt Rom, Mainz, 1985, vol. I, p. 24, no. 20, fig. 1b
Drouot-Richelieu, Antiquités égyptiennes, grecques et romaines, Paris, June 2, 1989, lot 130 and cover of the auction catalogue
D. Boschung, "Die Bildnisse des Augustus", Das Römische Herrscherbild, 1, 2, Berlin, 1993, p. 196, pl. 208
C. B. Rose, Dynastic Commemoration And Imperial Portraiture In the JulioClaudian Period, Cambridge and New York, 1997, cat. 43, p. 115, no. 5, pl. 118
D. Boschung, Gens Augusta: Untersuchungen Aufstellung, Wirkung Und Bedeutung Der Statuettengruppendes julischclaudischen Kaiserhauses, Mainz, 2002, p. 140, no. 71.4
Sotheby’s, The collection of Patricia Kluge, New York, 2010-06-08, lot 344
"Sotheby’s Sale of the Collection of Patricia Kluge Held On-site in Charlottesville, Virginia totals €15,2 million", Art Daily.org, last seen online August 2018, [on-line] available at: http://artdaily.com/news/38574/Sotheby-s-Sale-of-The-Collection-of-Patricia-Kluge-Held-On-Site-in-Charlottesville--Virginia-Totals--15-2-Million#.W3GukJMzZTY]
J. Spier, "Roman bronzes" in M. Merrony (ed.), Mougins Museum of Classical Art, France, 2011, p. 129, fig. 4
C. Wrathall, Financial Times Magazine, Finders Keepers Antiquities, October 11, 2013
Kölnische Rundschau, "In Köln herrschte Goldgräberstimmung", Ausstellung gibt Einblicke in das Leben im Römischen Rheinland vor 2000 Jahren, June 27, 2014, [on-line] available at: http://www.roemisch-germanisches-museum.de/14-AD-Roemische-Herrschaft-am-Rhein
D. Bon, Höfelmanns, Express, Ausstellung im RGM: Augustus, Ich grüsse dich, June 27, 2014
"Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins Launches Virtual Interactive Museum - MACM 4D", Blooloop, 2016-12-08, [on-line] available at: https://blooloop.com/news/musee-dart-classique-de-mougins-launches-virtual-interactive-museum-macm-4d/
M. Squire, "A Passionate Collector", Minerva: the International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology, London, March/April 2018, p. 18, fig. 8
"L’Antiquité, c’est tout près", Nice Matin, France, May 8, 2018
P. Cosme, "Le chef des armées" in K. Schörle (ed.), L’armée de Rome, la puissance et la gloire, exhibition catalogue (Musée départemental Arles antique, 15th December 2018 – 22nd April 2019), SilvanaEditoriale, 2018, p. 30, fig. 4
J. Coulston, "The Power and the Glory", Minerva: the International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology, March/April 2019, vol. 30, no. 2, p. 15, fig. 2

Exhibitions

Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins (MACM), Mougins, France, from June 2011
14AD Römische Herrschaft am Rhein, Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Cologne, Germany, October 19, 2014 — June 26, 2014
L’armée de Rome, la puissance et la gloire, Musée de départemental de l’Arles antique, Arles, France, December 15, 2018 — April 22, 2019

N.B. Our online collection is being continually updated thanks to ongoing research and documentation efforts carried out by The Levett Collection - FAMM documentation team. Any additional information is welcome, please contact us.