Marble Portrait of the Greek Poet Aeschylus

Culture: Roman

Period: 1st-2nd century A.D.

Material: Marble

Dimensions: 31.8 cm high

Price: 80 000 Euro

Ref: 3769

Provenance: From an old Portuguese collection, later the collection of W. L., Sint Niklaas, Belgium, acquired around 2005. Purchased there by the Royal-Athena Gallery, New York. Published in the gallery’s catalogue no. XXII, New York 2011, p. 8, fig. 12. Acquired in 2010 by Christian Levett for his Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, where it was exhibited until August 2023. The head is further published in: John Pollini “Roman Marble Sculpture” in: M. Merrony (ed.), Mougins Museum of Classical Art, France 2011, p. 86, fig. 25; M. Merrony (ed.), Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins. Collection famille Levett, 2012, pp. 56 and 85; C. Wrathall, “Collectors & Collections,” in Christie’s Magazine, UK and China, January/February 2016, p. 52; M. Squire, “A Passionate Collector,” in Minerva: The International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology, London, March/April 2018, p. 16; and online: R. Leung, “From 4th-Century Greek Vases to Female Abstract Expressionism,” Larry’s List, 2022. www.larryslist.com/artmarket/the-talks/from-4th-century-greek-vases-to-female-abstract-expressionism/. With French antiquities passport.

Condition: Ancient chips are visible on the right side of the head and at the tip of the beard. The nose may have undergone restorations that are no longer visible today.

Description: Widely published and internationally exhibited life-size marble portrait attributed to the Greek poet Aeschylus. The father of Greek tragedy is depicted here in the so-called Farnese type, as a bearded elderly man looking back on a long and eventful life. As a young man, Aeschylus served in the wars against the Persians, fighting in the battles of Marathon and Salamis before achieving fame as a poet. The face is characterized by high cheekbones and deep-set eyes that gaze determinedly from beneath heavy eyelids. The moustache arches over the upper lip, and the mouth is slightly open. The beard is long and falls in wavy locks. The poet’s hair is already somewhat thinning on top. It is intentionally tousled and combed forward, reinforcing the image of the thinker. Short curls project at the temples. The head is mounted on a 19th-century reddish marble base. An old engraved brass plaque on the base incorrectly identifies him as “Homerus.” For comparison with the “Aeschylus Farnese” type, see the portrait in the Antikensammlung in Berlin with the inventory number Sk313. Our head was exhibited at the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (MACM) in France from June 2011 to August 2023.