Dioscurus, Castor or Pollux Roman, 1st-2nd century CE Christie’s Sale 12257
The style and pathos exhibited in this bust, as well as the idealized features and the upswept tresses, are, as D. von Bothmer notes (op. cit., p. 234), "strongly influenced by those associated with Alexander the Great." The intense turn of the head is related to other depictions of the Dioscuri, most famously found in the twins from the Temple of Castor and Pollux at the Circus Flaminius in Rome, now placed at the edge of Michelangelo's Campidoglio (see no. 57, p. 494 in F. Gury, "Dioskouroi/Castores," in LIMC, Vol. III). This can be interpreted as a double heroic allusion to both the Dioscuri and Alexander, imbuing the viewer and the owner with this epic connection. The extensive gilding, the impressive size, and the martial nature of the subject suggest that it may have been suited for a triumphal or Imperial context.
