PORTRAIT OF A MATRON WITH A DIADEM Ancient Rome · Reigns of Trajan or Hadrian, 98 - 138 A.D. Marble. Height 35 cm without stand. Condition: Good state of preservation, only shows restorations on nose and headband. As well as some vertical break lines on the headband professionally restored without adding new areas. Provenance: - Private collection, France, 1960 - 1970. - From judicial return, Paris, 2021. Head carved in Pentelic marble, from a single block, with a round shape representing a serious face of a woman, of an adult age, with a gesture that gives off authority and power. The final part of the neck is worked to be inserted in the concavity of a bust or a complete sculpture. In classical antiquity, stone sculptures had a high cost, and one way to make the most of both the material and the resources invested was to sculpt busts and heads separately in order to exchange the heads and keep the bust or the complete sculpture. This happened, above all, with the portraits of emperors that could be replaced according to their reign without the need to change the bust and the pedestal or column, also made of stone, often of different colors and origins, and therefore of a high amount. The marble used, as its name suggests, comes from a variety from Mount Pentelicus, which, due to its proximity to Athens, was the most used in that city in works from the classical period, such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis; and from Roman times, such as the monument of Filopapos. Unlike Paros marble (completely white in color with larger transparent crystals), Pentelic marble, as it contains a slight amount of iron, acquires a subtle golden patina on its surface due to oxidation when exposed to air. Also appreciated in its carving is the edge that the edges retain, which allows for perfectly adjusted joints and sharp edges. Mineralogically it is a fine calcitic marble, its color in its purest state is white, although gray and greenish colors appear in some veins. The use of this material directly denotes the high purchasing power of the family that commissioned the domina's portrait. A matron was a woman with Roman citizenship, married to a free man, so she was a sign of a certain status. They represented, in Roman society, the most important female deities, especially in their role as mothers and faithful wives. The virtuous Roman matron also had to be dignified and respectable, observing traditional customs, restrained in her words and austere in her outward appearance. During the period of the Roman Republic, the place reserved for her was mainly the domestic, a wife and mother of a family, dignified and respectable, responsible for the care of the house and the education of the children, under the authority and protection of the head of the family or paterfamilias, be it this, the father or the husband. In the Kingdom, the distinction between a matron and a materfamilias, a title that women obtained once married, disappeared. In this way, the matron could have greater freedom over her husband and she could dispose of her own property and make her own decisions. An equality, that she could be considered as the partner and collaborator of the husband, by her side at banquets, and to whom she could be consulted to make decisions. As the mother of a family, she has a certain power within the house, directing the servants and slaves. She is called the domina (the lady of the house). She was exempt from the harsh domestic and agricultural work. They had their own festivals, which were especially celebrated in Rome, during the calends of March, called the Matronalias. A matron could be recognized by her stole, clothing of the goddesses in representations of her, two robes covered by a long dress, and her hair entwined with vittae (ribbons). When she went out, she added a palla, a cloak that covered her shoulders and sometimes her head as well. Young girls, prostitutes, and those who had lost the title of matron (usually by being caught in adultery) were not allowed to wear any of these garments. Notes: - The piece includes authenticity certificate. - The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested, can take between 1-2 weeks maximum. - The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.