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Roman facade decoration shaped as theatre mask

€5,700
available
Object number
AR2680-wb3
Object: Roman facade decoration shaped as theatre mask

Material: Beige marble.

Period: Roman Imperial period.
Circa 1st century AD.

Description:    Roman architectural stone ornament shaped as an expressive theatre mask. The face of the mask has an open mouth, eyes focused on the distance, and a distinctively styled wig (onkos). It is a face mask in the manner of an ancient theatre mask. Depicted is a female character from ancient tragedy.
The function of this object was the architectural decoration of a facade, probably a villa or a public building. The slightly downward gaze and the lifesize or slightly large than life size suits an above eye level installation, for example over a passageway.

Background: The theatre of classical antiquity has its roots in the cult of Dionysus, which involved masking, costumes, as well as drinking and dancing in ecstasy. Already in the 6th century BC the administration of Athens had dramas performed as part of Dionysian festivals. By the end of the 6th century, tragedies had expanded the repertoire of plays, at the beginning of the 5th century comedies were added. Costumes and masks, as well as the musical and dance elements in the theater, have been taken over from the original cult. The masks were central because they allowed the same actor to quickly switch between different roles. The missing dynamic in the facial expressions were compensated by expressive texts and additional gestures.
In the 3rd century BC theatre had attained an importance that made it possible to move from amateur actors to full-time actors. They were even exempt from military service and taxes.
Unfortunately, no original theatre masks have survived. But written accounts and material remains give us a deep insight. Statues of actors, scenes on vases, frescoes and mosaics, as well as clay masks and architectural decorations have sometimes survived to this day. Of course, the Romans took up the theatre from the Greeks and continued to use its props in art and architecture.
The depiction of a tragical character presented here is still evoking emotions, when we look at it. It is easy to imagine that it had the same effect on people spotting it on the facade of the Roman villa or public building it once decorated.

Dimensions: 27cm high, 24cm wide, 13cm deep. Impressively large and massive piece. Including the modern mount 34.5cm high, 27cm wide, 16.5cm deep.

Condition: Fragment of a facade decoration. The mask on the fragment is complete except for a part to its right and at the top. A crack runs across the piece where it was reassembled after antiquity. Minor chips to the surface, otherwise in excellent condition with easily recognizable details. Beautiful marble with attractive aging. Professionally mounted to a stone slab resting on a stone base by stonemason Florian Freyer in 2021. It was attached using metal clips so that the artefact can be removed if necessary without damaging the original substance.

Provenance: Acquired by us in 2019 from the estate of professor Ritschel, Austria. Exported with the approval of the Austrian federal monuments office. Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Ritschel acquired his collection between 1960 and 1970 from international art dealers.
Professor Ritschel played an important role for the culture and historical heritage of Salzburg in Austria. He supported the town's cultural development with great commitment. For example, he sponsored the restoration of the Franciscan Church. As a president of the local museum association he was playing a key role in the erection of the Salzburg Museum in the Neue Residenz. The author and brilliant writer manifested his interest in history in over 50 books and 500 columns telling the story of Salzburg. He lived his passion to communicate history to a broader public. For his achievements Karl-Heinz Ritschel was decorated many times, for example in 1995 when the Republic of Austria awarded its Decoration for Science and Art.
Also his private collection of ancient art was impressive, focussing on Roman pottery, glass, bronzes and portraiture. We have taken great care to prepare the apparently unpublished pieces with our usual high claim to quality. Now we would like to give them back to the commitment and care of a well-managed collection.

References: Cf. a mask from Hadrian's Villa, now at Cortile del Belvedere, Vatican Museums in Rome.
Cf. Chiragan Villa, Musée Saint-Raymond, Toulouse Archaeology Museum, acc. no. Ra 35.

Literature: Cahn’s Quarterly 3/2019, p. 2f.
T. Vovolis, Mask, Actor, Theatron and Landscape in Classical Greek Theatre. The Acoustics of Ancient Theaters Conference (Patras, 2011.
E. Simon, Stumme Masken und sprechende Gesichter, in: T. Schabert, Die Sprache der Masken (Wuerzburg, 2002).

Authenticity: We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.