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From the towering quiff, to the come-to-bed eyes and seductive pout, the resemblance of this carving to Elvis Presley is striking.
But the sculpture was created around 1,800 years before ‘The King’ ever crooned his first song.
The Roman ornament, called an acroterion, is carved in marble on the corner of a sarcophagus dating from the second century AD.
It is among a collection of ancient art owned by the Melbourne-based dealer Graham Geddes, which is estimated to sell for more than ?1m.
Mr Geddes’ collection, which includes more than 50 classical Greek vases and 30 pieces of marble sculpture, will be auctioned by Bonhams in October.
Many of these items will sell for up to ?90,000 each, and the bust, which even the collector has nicknamed ‘Elvis’, is estimated to make between ?25,000 and ?30,000.
A spokesman for Bonhams said: “Fans of the King of Rock ‘n Roll, seeing this face from the distant past will be forgiven for thinking that their idol may well have lived a previous life in Rome.
“Looking at this face with its Elvis-like quiff, strong jaw and nose, one is inevitably led to the thought that the human face for all is diversity and subtlety has after all an ability to repeat itself.”
Elvis lives: in 2,000-year-old carving – TelegraphBut the sculpture was created around 1,800 years before ‘The King’ ever crooned his first song.
The Roman ornament, called an acroterion, is carved in marble on the corner of a sarcophagus dating from the second century AD.
It is among a collection of ancient art owned by the Melbourne-based dealer Graham Geddes, which is estimated to sell for more than ?1m.
Mr Geddes’ collection, which includes more than 50 classical Greek vases and 30 pieces of marble sculpture, will be auctioned by Bonhams in October.
Many of these items will sell for up to ?90,000 each, and the bust, which even the collector has nicknamed ‘Elvis’, is estimated to make between ?25,000 and ?30,000.
A spokesman for Bonhams said: “Fans of the King of Rock ‘n Roll, seeing this face from the distant past will be forgiven for thinking that their idol may well have lived a previous life in Rome.
“Looking at this face with its Elvis-like quiff, strong jaw and nose, one is inevitably led to the thought that the human face for all is diversity and subtlety has after all an ability to repeat itself.”