63 ROMAN BRONZE STEELYARD WEIGHT OF A DIADEMED FEMALE BUST, probably an idealized portrait of Antonia Minor, daughter of Mark Anthony, a veil on the back of her head and falling to her shoulders. Her right shoulder is bare and the bust is covered by a sensuously draped chiton. Ca. AD 30-50. H. 6 7/8 in. (10 cm.) Ex Austrian private collection. Cf. W. Megow, Cameos from Augustus to Alexander Severus,1987, pl. 7 D 13 - D 18. Antonia was one of the most prominent Roman women, celebrated for her virtue and beauty. She was the youngest daughter of Octavia Minor and Mark Antony. She was also the favorite niece of her mother’s youngest brother, the emperor Augustus. Cf. The Ludovisi Juno, considered to be a portrait of Antonia Minor, in K.Dahmen, Investigations in Form and Function of Small Portraits of the Roman Emperial Period, 2001, nos. 77 and 78. 65 ROMAN BRONZE APPLIQUE BUST OF ATHENA (MINERVA) The goddess wears a breastplate with an elaborate aegis, and a helmet with three plumes and an eagle. The mouth, eyes, and nostrils are pierced. Presumably from an equine parade mask. 2nd Century AD. H. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm.) Ex private German collection, acquired in the mid-1970s. Cf. J.Garbsch, Römische 33 Praderüstungen, 1978 - 1979, pl. 42.
64 GALLO- ROMAN SILVER-COVERED BRONZE APPLIQUE BUST OF APOLLO, his long locks falling over his shoulders and chest, and tied in a bow atop his head. A fully modelled bust in very fine style, covered in part with a thick silver sheet. 2nd Century AD. H. 4 1/4 in. (11 cm.) Said to have been found in Normandy, the metal is most probably potin, an alloy of copper, tin, and lead that was most often used by the Gallic tribes. Ex J.S. collection, Paris.