A male head in the Grotesque style
Egypt, 2nd - 1st century BC ; alt. cm 7; A small head set on a wooden base; the masculine face is distinguished by almond-shaped eyes, an aquiline nose, hollow cheeks and full, slightly parted lips. The distinctly individual facial features such as the marked thinness, the absence of hair and the disproportionate size of the ears, reveal an artistic intention that verges on caricature, typical of the grotesque style of the second and first centuries BC.
The grotesque style is one of the most distinguishable aspects of Alexandrian art. Distancing itself from the idealisation of the classical world, this style aimed to represent new forms and aspects of reality, that had until then been neglected, such as old-age or childhood, specific psychological states (such as sleep and intoxication), people engaged in everyday life and those of lower social strata (such as fishermen or beggars).

PROVENANCE:
Ex ACR Auctions 10 (Rome, 28 April 2014), lot 138; formerly in a Danish collection formed in the 1970s.

This lot is sold with an export licence issued by the Republic of Italy.