Following Greco-Roman models, 19th century.

Following Greco-Roman models, XIX century.
Mythological mask.
Relief in marble.
It shows wear.
measurements: 87 x 87 x 27 cm.

Imposing marble mask that is an excellent example of the neoclassical taste of the nineteenth century, a period in which models of Greco-Roman statuary were recovered with special fervor to embellish palaces, gardens and architectural spaces of prestige.

The piece, of large format and pronounced relief, presents a powerful male face with idealized features, open mouth and abundant wavy hair arranged in voluminous locks, inscribed in a circular frame. Its iconography is reminiscent of the representations of fluvial or mythological divinities -such as Oceanus or Bacchus-, common in ornamental repertoires inspired by classical antiquity.

Due to its remarkable depth and monumental dimensions, it was probably conceived as a fountain frontal, a central element in a decorative garden program. This type of masks is directly linked to the spirit of the Grand Tour, a cultural phenomenon by which the European aristocracy sought to reproduce in their residences the evocative atmosphere of the ruins of Rome and Pompeii.

The visible wear on the surface of the marble, in accordance with its chronology, not only certifies its antiquity but also gives it a patina of almost archaeological character.

A work of great plastic strength and remarkable visual impact, which synthesizes nineteenth-century historicism and the permanent fascination for the classical legacy.