Provenance:
Private Collection, Europe, acquired 1960s-1970s.
Private Collection, New York, 2008.
Aphrodite Ancient Art, New York, 2015 (Art of the Ancient, Vol. II, no. 9. p. 16-17).
Art Loss Register no. S00109062
[accompanied with copy of a Lebanese export license]

Note:
Known for using their horns as weapons to establish dominance, mating rights, and to protect the flock, rams were important symbols of strength and virility in Ancient Rome. Large curled-horns frame the face of this fierce looking ram. Carved in the round and nearly complete, the head breaks just before the neck. It is difficult to determine from the location of the break if this piece once belonged to a free standing sculpture or served as an architectural adornment. For an example of a complete sculpture, see a loan at the Art Institute of Chicago (Inv. no. 189.2014.); For an example of an architectural elements, see the British Museum (1805,0703.209).