Head of Apollo Lykeios

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Head of Apollo Lykeios

Circa 2nd Century AD, Roman 
Marble 
Height: 40.6 cm, Width: 29.2 cm

£165,000

Description

An over-life-sized marble head depicting the Greek god Apollo. He can be identified through his distinctive hairstyle, with the hair pulled forwards from the crown of the head to part in thick waves above the brow. The outline of each curled strand is deeply carved and defined, to suggest a great mass of hair falling around the brow and ears, tied back in a bun at the base of the skull, with individual ringlets at the back of the neck. The facial features are idealised, with deep-set almond-shaped eyes below a high, smooth forehead. The eyelids are partially closed, giving the eyes a sensual look, especially when combined with the full lips below. A tall wreath of laurel leaves crowns the god, its branches, leaves, and berries arranged symmetrically around a medallion above the centre of the brow, and tied at the back with a broad fillet. The ends of the fillet hang alongside the ringlets at the nape of the neck. 
 
Apollo is one of the original Twelve Olympians of the Greek pantheon. God of healing, prophecy, music, poetry, and archery, Apollo was considered the most beautiful god and represented as the ideal of the kouros (a beardless, athletic youth). Apollo was the twin brother of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Together they are credited with the invention of archery, and the god is often described as carrying a gold or silver bow and a quiver of arrows. The pair are also associated with the sun and the moon (respectively). Apollo was also the patron of Delphi who gifted prophecy to the temple’s Oracle. God of music, dance, and poetry, Apollo was said to have invented string-music and frequently seen alongside the Muses. The Cithaeroedus type of his statues depicts Apollo with his attribute of the lyre or cithara, typically with topknot and, often, a laurel wreath with central medallion. As the reverse of this statue is mostly unworked, it is likely that it formed part of a colossal relief. Apollo and the Muses may have formed the relief’s subject, as suggested by other large-scale fragments depicting Muses found near Tivoli and now in the Musei Vaticani in Vatican City.  

Published

Archéologie, Arts Premiers, Art Aborigène, Tajan, Paris, 17 March 2010, Lot 125. 

Provenance

Previously in a Private Collection, France, acquired circa 1960-1970. 
Sold at: Archéologie, Arts Premiers, Art Aborigène, Tajan, Paris, 17 March 2010, Lot 125, accompanied by French cultural passport 117596. 
Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above sale. 
ALR: S00275747, with IADAA Certificate, this item has been checked against the Interpol database. 

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