HEAD OF JANUS Roman period Marble H. 36 cm, D.... Lot 1

HEAD OF JANUS Roman period Marble H. 36 cm, D. 20 cm Accidents This marble bust depicts the god Janus, one of the oldest gods of the Roman pantheon. He has two opposing faces - bifrons - one looking in front of him, the other behind. His legends are uniquely Roman and linked to those of the origins of the city. According to some mythographers, Janus was indigenous to Rome where he once ruled with King Camese. He then built a city on the hill which took the name Janiculum, after the god. He came to Italy with his wife, Camisè or Camasené, and had children, including Tiber, the namesake of the Tiber. When he became king at the death of Camesis, the usual characteristics of the golden age are attested: perfect honesty of men, abundance and deep peace. It is Janus who would have invented the use of boats, to come from Thessaly to Italy; and also the use of money. Indeed, the oldest Roman bronze coins bore the effigy of Janus on the obverse and a boat's prow on the reverse. Our bust perfectly represents the ambivalence of this mythical god who has crossed the ages.