Artwork Page for Idealized Head

Details / Information for Idealized Head

Idealized Head

50 BCE–100 CE

Italy, Roman

Medium
dolomite
Measurements
Overall: 21 cm (8 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Leonard C. Hanna 1924.125
Public Domain
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Location
103 Roman
Print
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Did You Know?

This head could represent a woman or goddess, or a youthful god such as Apollo.

Description

This head combines an idealizing style with the serene expression that was characteristic of early Classical sculpture in Greece. Though copies of Greek masterpieces were popular in Rome during the late Republic and early empire, Romans also created many new sculptures that emulated the Classical style, which they felt conveyed a sense of the divine. This statue was probably one such piece, borrowing iconographically and stylistically from various Greek examples.
A dolomite sculpture depicts a head from the neck up, looking forward. Wavy hair is parted in the middle and swept back over the ears. Large eyes without pupils sit above a straight nose and closed lips. The granular, off-white stone is marked by reddish-brown stains across the right cheek and jaw. The sculpture is broken at the base of the neck, revealing a rough edge.

Idealized Head

50 BCE–100 CE

Italy, Roman

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