3rd Jul, 2024 10:00
Royalty, Antiques & Fine Art
1625
Carved onyx or chalcedony figure of Emperor Trajan
Carved onyx or chalcedony figure of Emperor Trajan, believed to be Ancient Roman, 9.5cm high. NB: A similar figure in the British Museum GR 1909.5-26.1. dated to AD 90-120. This lot is accompanied by copies of two related letters dated 1951 the first addressed to the then owner Dr Mirosovic Sorgo, from art historian and classicist Charles Seltman (1886-1957) referring to comparable examples of small busts of Trajan, one in agate in Florence and another in chalcedony in Hamburg. The second letter addressed to a Mr Babelon (art historian Jean Babelon 1889-1978) discussing the sculpture and by way of an introduction...,' Dear Mr Babylon. You may remember that some time ago I sent you photographs, of a very beautiful small bust carved in pink and yellow onyx and representing the Emperor Trajan. At that time you wrote to say that on comparing it with similar treasures in the Bibliotheque Nationale, you had come to the conclusion that it was undoubtedly a genuine work of art, but made. later than the reign of Trajan, and possibly in the Constantinian period.
Featuring in our July Fine Art auction is the Mirošević-Sorgo Collection
Featuring in our July Fine Art auction is the Mirošević-Sorgo Collection. Removed from two London flats in Kensington and Earls Court, the 170 lot collection comprises fine furniture, Old Master paintings and icons, silver, Classical antiquities and curios, all by family descent. The Mirošević-Sorgo family were Dubrovnik nobility who emigrated to the U.K. in the 1940s. They counted amongst their members Count Niko Mirošević-Sorgo (1885-1966), Yugoslavian ambassador to the Vatican, who was gifted a pair of 18th century giltwood chairs by Pope Pius XII, family tradition maintains the chairs were originally in the Vatican. Offered as lot 1534 in this sale; they are estimated at £1000-1500. Other furniture in the collection is known to have been acquired directly from General Marmont, Napoleon's general who was given the title of duc de Raguse when Napoleon appointed him as governor of the Illyrian provinces. Further highlights in this collection include lot 1625, a small carved onyx or chalcedony figure of Emperor Trajan, probably 4th century A.D. and estimated at £3000-5000. Lot 1603, a 16th century Creto-Venetian icon, estimated at £2500-4000 and lot 1584 a Pompeian style late 18th century Italian painted plaster table plateau, estimated at £5000-10000. Some items were sold from the collection some decades back, including a Fra Angelico Madonna, now in the Getty Museum, which demonstrates the potential significance of this wonderful collection, much of which has been retained within the family for centuries.
£3,000 - £5,000
Buyer's premium: 27%; Cars & Motorcycles: 12%
Condition Report
Wear throughout, an area of indention centrally in the forehead, possibly originally a fixing? there are rough areas of the stone including large area to left hand shoulder and elsewhere to edges, it's unclear whether this is damage or unworked areas of the stone.
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Auction: Royalty, Antiques & Fine Art, 3rd Jul, 2024
Viewing
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