From Egypt to Copenhagen. The Provenance of the Portraits of Augustus, Livia and Tiberius at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

It is generally considered probable that the portraits of Augustus, Livia and Tiberius in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek come from the ancient amphitheatre of Arsinoe, the most important ancient city in the Fayum region (Egypt). However, after a detailed study of the letters written by the art dealer who sold the sculptures to the museum and an analysis of the archaeological, papyrological and epigraphic documentation, it is clear that this supposed provenance was only a conjecture of the seller, without any foundation.