Tragic mask His hair is styled in a square pattern... Lot 19

Tragic mask His hair is styled in a square pattern with curls in the locks. His eyes are empty, his mouth wide open, as if he wanted to shout. It is probably an ornamental sculpture located at the front of a theatre stage. Roman art, 2nd - 3rd century. Marble. H: 38 cm. Provenance: Acquired at public auction in Sussex in 2014. (The invoice will be given to the buyer) Thespis, creator of the Attic tragedy (534 BC), first smeared his face with wine lees or ceruse before introducing the use of the mask for good. The mask, made of perishable material (wood, wax, bark, leather, etc.), persisted throughout the history of Greek theatre. Even far from the orchestra, spectators could immediately recognize a character. It seems that the roles were established fairly quickly, but that their expressions multiplied with time. In the 2nd century AD, Julius Pollux (Onomasticon) lists 76 masks (44 comedy, 28 tragedy and 4 satyr drama models). In many cases, the polychromy gave indications of the age and social origin of the character, and because of the frequent disappearance of the polychromy on terracotta works (which are only reproductions of theatre props), it is difficult to identify the characters today. Dedicated as ex-voto in sanctuaries or placed in tombs, they were also used as decorative elements.