Ca. 100 AD. This remarkable marble female head dates roughly to the end of the first century AD (ca. 100 AD), during the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98–117 AD). The treatment of the hair, the large eyes, and the broad nose indicate a Roman production. However, the Greek influence is unmistakable: the Roman patrician families were philhellenes (‘admirers of the Greeks’) and enjoyed decorating their villas with original Greek statues or copies of Greek originals. For instance, archaeological excavations at the Emperor Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli (near Rome) have brought to light several marble copies of original Greek sculptures (which were often made of bronze). The statue to which this female marble head belongs may be a Roman copy of a Hellenistic Greek statue and may have adorned one such patrician villa.Size: L:200mm / W:165mm ; With stand: 6.6kgProvenance: Property of a London gallery, previously in old British collection formed in the 1980s.