5th century BC. A carved marble male mask with soft facial features, square chin and small lips, sockets to the eyes to accept glass(?) inlays; mounted on a custom-made stand. Cf. Buitron-Oliver, D., The Greek Miracle: Classical Sculpture from the Dawn of Democracy: the Fifth Century B.C., Washington, 1992, pl.5; and a similar example from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; Archaic Greek 550-520 BCE, now in the British Museum, 1873,0505.43; Smith, no.33, Atlas, pl.XVI, 6; Langlotz, Frühgr. Bildhauerschulen, pp.103, 107, pl.61; Lethaby in J.H.S., 1917, p.3; V. Müller in Arch. Anz., 1921, p.23; Rodenwaldt, Kunst d. Ant., pp.186-7. 4.9 kg total, 34cm including stand (13 1/2"). Property of a central London gentleman; previously in a private UK collection; formerly in the collection of A.G.A.L, since 1988; before that in the collection of Professor Namio Egami since before 1975; accompanied by a scholarly note TL 5302 by Dr Ronald Bonewitz. The face is evidently that of a youthful male, similar in treatment to that of the Kritios Boy (Acropolis Museum, Athens, item 698) which once stood on the Acropolis and possibly represents Theseus. Here, the eyes are also carved as deep sockets for the insertion of glass or stone panels which enhanced the lifelike quality of the sculpture. [A video of this lot is available on TimeLine Auctions website]