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FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE 20TH CENTURY
Lot 41:
A bust of a bearded man in the characteristic style of Arabia Felix, a region that roughly fits the borders of modern Yemen. This bust appears to be made primarily of alabaster, with a slightly rounded but flattened face and slightly protruding lips. The long slender nose is of the same piece as the rest of the stone, but it is purple, showing the artist’s careful selection of the stone and how to carve it to ensure that this unique section would become the striking nose.
The eyeholes are deeply cut and may once have been inset with some other material to represent the eyes themselves. Above the eyes are think, angular eyebrows which give the face a stern look. The beard and moustache are made of many small drilled holes and appear to have been filled with some sort of dark material in the past which has mostly disappeared now, with the most obvious examples remaining being on the front of the face. The head appears to have once been attached to a large body. The rear of the head is left rough, implying that it was not expected to be seen.
Arabia Felix – CA. 100 BC – 300 AD
H: 7 3/4 in., (19.7 cm.)
Condition: Good overall with only minor scuffs and scrapes in some places.
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