Stand number: 426
Thanks to an inscribed bronze copy found in Herculaneum, the subject of this 2nd century marble bust can be identified as Hermarchus of Mytilene (c.340-after 270BC), a philosopher and a disciple of Epicurus.
London dealership Charles Ede has been able to track its remarkable provenance. In 1598 this 10in (25cm) bust was drawn by the Flemish artist Theodoor Galle at the Rome studio of the Italian humanist, historian and antiquarian Fulvio Orsini (1529-1600). Orsini was responsible for the identification of multiple ancient Greek and Roman portraits, many of which are still adhered to today, although in the inventory of his collection this bust was thought to be Pittacus.