30.2K
CU$35 for an object over 2,000 years old
This marble bust appears ordinary, almost decorative. Yet it is a direct witness to ancient Rome, resurfacing in a completely unexpected modern setting. Its identification revealed a story far greater than its appearance initially suggested.
This Roman marble bust is dated to the 1st century BC or the early 1st century AD, a period marked by the transition from the Roman Republic to the Empire. It is attributed to an anonymous Roman workshop, in keeping with ancient traditions in which sculptors rarely signed their works.
The piece is executed in a Roman realist style, characteristic of aristocratic portraits, emphasizing individual features, facial expression, and the dignity of the subject. According to specialists, the bust likely represents a member of the Roman elite, possibly Drusus Germanicus, or more broadly a descendant of Pompey the Great, a major political figure at the end of the Republic.
Before its disappearance during World War II, the bust was part of the collection of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, a renowned patron and collector of ancient art, and was housed in a German museum. The exact circumstances of its displacement remain unknown, but it may have been brought to the United States by an American soldier after the war—an often-cited hypothesis to explain the dispersion of European artworks during that period.
Music: Sneaky Snitch (Kevin MacLeod) – Background Music (HD)
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