Laura Young was simply looking for “something interesting” when she was browsing a Texas junk shop in 2018 and came across an old bust. So she told the US broadcaster CNN last year. Little did Young know at the time how interesting the story of the play was that it was sold there for $34.99.
But as she looked more into the past of her find, it became increasingly clear: the bust had a long journey behind it. The first surprise: the male portrait was not a cheap replica, but actually a 2,000-year-old original from Roman times. The second surprise: the piece was in the possession of King Ludwig I (1786–1868) of Bavaria in Aschaffenburg for a long time. Now it is supposed to return to Germany. So the journey of the bust is not over yet.
As reported by the “Artnet” site, she is to be brought back to Bavaria on May 21. The antique piece will then be on display again in the Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg, where it originally stood, or in the Glyptothek in Munich, where the rest of Ludwig I’s collection is also located. It is currently in the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA).
The bust is believed to be from the late first century BC or early first century AD. Whose facial features can be seen exactly on it has not been finally clarified. Experts assume that it is the Roman general Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius (67 BC – 35 BC). Ludwig I of Bavaria acquired the bust and exhibited it in the Pompejanum, a scale replica of a Roman villa built in the 1840s.
However, after the Second World War, when the Pompeianum, which had been badly damaged in the war, was reopened, the work of art was considered lost. It is believed that US soldiers who were stationed in the area took the bust with them. Then she suddenly appeared in Texas – owned by Laura Young. The antiques dealer quickly suspected that the bust might be worth more than the price she paid. It took experts four years to prove their authenticity.
A “bittersweet” realization for Young, as she told CNN: “I knew I couldn’t keep her or sell her.” Now she is looking forward to being able to visit her bargain in Germany soon.
Sources: CNN / San Antonio Museum of Art / “Artnet”
