HELLENISTIC HEAD OF APHRODITE Greek art, 2nd -... Lot 30

HELLENISTIC HEAD OF APHRODITE Greek art, 2nd - 1st century B.C. Marble H. 9,7 cm Provenance Former French private collection, early 20th century Private Swiss collection, acquired on the French art market in 2012 The head, which measures about half the natural size, was carved from a block of white/gray marble. Despite the precarious state of the surface, one can still easily notice the excellent work of the sculptor, for example in the treatment of the hair strands as well as in the rendering of the cheeks, eyes and mouth. The head certainly belonged to a statue of a young woman, who seems to be barely turning to her right, as indicated by the tension of the neck muscles. Her face, whose outline draws a well-balanced oval, is framed by the thick wavy hair. The features, strongly idealized and symmetrical, do not show any wrinkle or trace of particular expression. The hair goes down on the temples and towards the ears from the median parting above the forehead, it is retained by a flat ribbon. Two large vertical strands, the beginning of which is still clearly visible, escaped under the ears. The numerous small holes perforated all along the head attest to the existence of a diadem, most probably in metal (bronze, gold?), which crowned the young woman. The statue thus represented a deity with idealized features rather than an important personality. Although no precise attribute is visible, the general typology of the head corresponds to that of the Greek goddess of Love, Aphrodite. The presence of the two lateral strands of hair, even allows us to imagine, as a simple hypothesis, the identification with the known type of Aphrodite of Cos (called anadyomene), a work whose first version was painted in the fourth century BC by the painter Apelles. On a famous painting, which was on the island of Cos, Apelles would have painted Aphrodite coming out of the sea and tying her hair around her head, or simply drying it by squeezing it between her hands. This scheme quickly became very famous and was copied many times in sculpture as well as on mosaics. Chronologically, this work, which was probably intended for a small, even domestic sanctuary, is to be dated to the late Hellenistic period, between the second and first centuries BC. Conservation Complete, but surface largely worn and partially covered with concretions. Chipped nose, chin, forehead and neck. The fracture, at an angle, crosses the neck to the nape of the neck. The head is currently mounted on a modern base. Bibliography See also some contemporary female heads reproduced in: Nielsen A. M. - Stubbe Ostergaard, Catalogue Near Easter Mediterranean in the Hellenistic Period, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, 1997, nos. 43-44, p. 75. SMITH R.R.R., Hellenistic Sculpture, London, 1991, p. 79