Marble Head of a Satyr from an Aristocratic Viennese Collection

Culture: Roman

Period: 2nd century A.D.

Material: Marble

Dimensions: 12 cm high (without base)

Price: Sold

Ref: 3120

Provenance: Count Karol Lanckorónski (1848-1933), Palais Lanckorónski Vienna. Count Lanckorónski was well-known for his art collection and was considered as one of the wealthiest and most sophisticated tycoons in the Austria-Hungarian Empire. The palais Lanckorónski in the Viennese Jacquingasse 18 was torn down after the Second World War, the remains of the collection are mainly in Poland today. Thence Count Anton Lanckorónski and Countess Caroline Maria Adelheid Lanckorónska (1898-2002). Auctioned off at Sotheby’s London on 29 January 1968, lot 80. Thence English private collection.

Condition: The nose slightly worn, otherwise intact.

Description: Extremely expressive marble head of a smiling Satyr with pointy ears, the head slightly bent to the left, his hair pulled back and tied to a bun. He is wearing a headband made of wine leaves, grapes are hanging into his forehead and behind the ear. The smile is especially vivid due to the superb depiction of the wrinkles in the face. The eyes are mischievously looking out behind thick lids. Mounted on an old wooden base from the 19th century. An undated photo of the head with the note “Palais Lanckorónski“ is in the collection of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome and can be found online at http://arachne.uni-koeln.de/item/marbilderbestand/815002.