Recently I purchased a statue for a
good price off of the internet. The dealer is not an expert by any means but he has an honest reputation. He told me that he bought the statue off of
eBay 8 years ago and that it was a
part of an old
german collection. He also told me that the original seller believed the item depicted the Emperor
Domitian. The dealer openly stated that he
had no official proof that the item was authentic, but also that the original seller seemed reputable and was
selling off pieces which
had been with
his family for a long time. Because he
had no official documentation the
price I paid was
very good (although
still expensive at $350 including shipping). The dealer also promised that if I can provide strong reason to believe the item isn't authentic I will get a full refund.
So it seemed like a safe purchase but I do not have much experience with
antiquities. I am going to bring the statue into the local museum and university to get it checked, but I am also curious to hear the opinion of this board! So I have the following questions:
a) Can anyone confirm that it is in fact
Domitian? Or perhaps it is unlikely or improbable?
b) Are there any glaring signs that the statue is not authentic? I am concerned about the numerous bright
red chipped off portions (the foot,
face, and elsewhere) which I know broke off in recent times but
still look quite vivid for such an old piece. Another possible way to determine authenticty is purely in its artistic
style. Does this statue look out of place for
roman times?
c) any possible guess on when it was made?
Contemporary to
Domitian or perhaps one hundred or two hundred years later? Or is this almost impossible to guess?
Thanks very much for any
help. If any of you believe this is a suspicious piece or an unwise investment I can
still get a
complete refund (he isn't shipping it for two weeks since that is when I will pay him). So any
help would be great!
