£38,000.00
Florentine Renaissance Carved Limestone Architectural Relief Fragment Depicting a Hadrianic Profile Head Wearing a Crown if Laurel Leaves All’Antica.
Hadrian, Roman Emperor from 117-138 AD, was a restless and ambitious man who was greatly interested in architecture and passionate about Greece and Greek.
Originally this stunning piece was considered to be ancient, but after a “holiday” at the British Museum Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities in 2016, it was decided by a 2/1 decision that it was not in fact ancient but Florentine Renaissance.
Hadrian was an experienced military leader and strategist who was on occasion ruthless. This suited the renaissance Florentine (early 15th Century) fascination with brutal combat and victory at all cost.
Architectural friezes and reliefs were produced in imitation of antiquity recalling scenes of ancient sarcophagi.
The dissenting opinion was that it was Roman, possibly from Cyprus or Carthage.
It was acquired through Colefax and Fowler in the early 1960’s and has been in the current private collection since 1980.
1 in stock
