Copy of a Marble of Cybele

Provenance: The marble was purchased in Rome on March 17, 1717 by Thomas Coke for 18 crowns from Antonio Borioni.

An elegant female is arrayed in a striking headdress, consisting of a long veil draped over a crown, which represents the walls of a fortified city, and a diadem, elaborately worked with a floral pattern. The hair is combed back in loose waves from the face and drawn behind the ears. The idealised features are rendered with considerable finesse. Cybele was the great mother-goddess of Anatolia, who, as queen of her people, was responsible for their well being in all respects.