IMAGE DETAILS

COLNAGHI

Torso of a male divinity
Roman, late Republic or early Imperial, circa 1st century B.C. – 1st century A.D.
Marble
H 54.6 x w 21.6 x D 12.7 cm
Accompanied by Art Loss Register certificate: S00232635
Provenance: Vincenzo Giustiniani Collection, by 1638, inv. n° 119, described as 'Una statuetta
di un Appollo nudo con un instrumento in mano antica rest.ta, alta p.mi 3 e 2/3'; *possibly James Hugh Smith Barry (1748-1801); *possibly by descent, Lord Barrymore Collection, Marbury Hall, Cheshire, England.
(according to Jan 22, 1951 invoice from Mathias Komor); with Mathias Komor, New York, USA; Esq. Mason F. Lord Collection (Acquired from the above on Jan 22, 1951); By descent to the previous owner, USA, until 2023

*According to 1951 Mathias Komor invoice, dated January 22 1951, describing the torso as 'White marble male torso, Hellenistic, about 300 B.C.' The Lord Barrymore Collection was kept in the family by descent from 1748-1932, when Lord Barrymore's nephew Robert Raymond Smith Barry (1886-1949) sold Marbury Hall. Some of the collection remained with the family, some of it was sold with the house, and a great deal was offered at auction, in 1933 and 1946 (Sotheby & Co., London) and later in 1987 (Christie's London). While the present torso was not
included in any of the major sales, the 1882 catalogue of the collection was noted as incomplete by its author Adolf Michaelis, saying about ancient sculpture 'others are secluded in other rooms, to which I had not access' (p. 501). According to 'Notes on a New Edition of Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, Part Two,' pp. 336-337, 'Despite the fairly complete account previously given (of ancient sculpture at Marbury Hall), a number of Smith-Barry sculptures have remained unaccounted for. A rare small auction catalogue gives a partial view. On 15,16 March 1933, Messrs. Arber, Rutter, Waghorn & Brown (Lionel Brown of 1 Mount Street) sold the
remaining contents of the Residence.'
Literature: Galleria Givstiniana Del Marchese Vincenzo Givstiniani, Parte I (Rome, ~1640), pl. 57 (ill. with 17th century restorations); 'One Man's History of Art', Life Magazine, June 4, 1951, pp. 67-68; A. Gallottini, Le sculture della collezione Giustiniani, 1998, inv. n° 119
Exhibition: The Baltimore Museum of Art, June 1951; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA, Oct. 1951-1952