Extremely rare Byzantine marble head depicting a magistrate or priest, Byzantine Empire 5th-6th century. Attribution by Proffessor Rafaele D'Amato of Timelines Auctions, London. The head measures 16,5 x 13 x 16 cm and has the usual wear and tear of an object of this period. Provenance; The head comes from the collection of Jovan Ristic ( 1831-1899) who was Ambassador for the Kingdom of Serbia at the Ottoman court in the late 19th century and was several times Prime Minister of Serbia. He was a confidante of the legendary Queen Natalia of Serbia ( 1859-1941). She was said to be the most beautyfull Queen of Europe. Byzantine marble carvings of this period are extremely rare and mainly in collections like the one of Metropolitan Art Museum in New York. See picture of the invoice.