Lot n° 123
Estimation :
15000 - 18000
EUR
French School circa 1800 from the Antiquity Presumed portrai - Lot 123
French School circa 1800 from the Antiquity Presumed portraits of the emperors Domitian and Galba in profile Pair of white marble reliefs Size : 50 x 34 x 2,5cm Size : 50 x 31 x 1,8 cm Restorations for Galba Provenance : Private collection, Château du Bosc Hyons (Beauvoir-en-Lyons, 76) These two large-format medallions represent Roman emperors in profile, probably Galba (24 BC- 69 AD) and Domitian (51-96). They certainly belonged to a decorative ensemble representing the first Twelve Emperors, from Caesar to Domitian, inspired by the biographical work of the ancient author Suetonius: De vita duodecim Caesarum (The Life of the Twelve Caesars). This illustrious work excessively recounts the deeds of the first leaders who were doomed to tragic ends and brought up to date during the Renaissance, a period during which intense reflection on the role of leaders developed and many books offering political advice were published. The work inspired the elites from the 16th century onwards, and commissions for series of busts or portraits in medallions developed. Successive dynasties saw it as a means of legitimising their power by being part of Imperial Rome's glorious past. The castle of Bosc Hyons, located in Beauvoir en Lyons, belonged to great families of the Pays de Bray including the De Moy, des Courtils, de Bonissent, the Le Vaillant du Buisson, gentlemen glassmakers.
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