Head of Germanicus
Marble.
1st cent. CE.
H. 30 cm.
Christie’s Fine Art Auction House, London

Head of Germanicus.

Marble.
1st cent. CE.
H. 30 cm.

Christie’s Fine Art Auction House, London.

Private collection, Germany.
Origin:
Private collection, Germany, 1929.
Accompanied by a photograph and letter of expertise from Herrn Dr. Wilhelm Massow, Berlin, signed and dated 21 November 1929; and various letters of correspondence with Sotheby Parke Bernet, Munich, 1979.
Christie’s Fine Art Auction House, London. Live Auction 4925, Lot 320, 26 Apr 2012. Estimate: 50,000—80,000 GBP. Price Realized: 109,250 GBP (price includes buyer’s premium).
Description:
Germanicus Julius Caesar (15 B.C.—A.D. 19) was the son of Drusus Major and Antonia Minor and the brother of Claudius, who later became emperor. Tiberius (reigned A.D. 14—37) was his uncle and adoptive father. Germanicus’ military career was distinguished; he commanded the eight Roman legions on the Rhine frontier, recovering two of the legionary standards lost after a military disaster in the Teutoberg forest (A.D. 9). He became immensely popular among the people of Rome, who celebrated his military victories. The Roman biographer Suetonius in his Life of Caligula, III, describes Germanicus’ “…unexampled kindliness, and a remarkable desire and capacity for winning men’s regard and inspiring their affection”. Following his untimely death through illness at Antioch at the age of thirty-four, he was elevated to god-like status.
Credits:
© 2012. Photo, text: Christie’s Fine Art Auction House (Live Auction 4925, Lot 320).
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