The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 10, 2026

A marble sculpture depicts a youth's head from the neck up, facing us. They have a straight nose, full lips pressed together, and large eyes solely outlined with no pupils. Thick, wavy curls frame the forehead and ears in deep, textured ridges. The pale, cream-colored stone is mottled with light brown patches. The sculpture ends at the base of the neck with a jagged, broken edge.

Portrait Head of a Youth

1–100 CE

Egypt, Alexandria, Roman

marble
Overall: 29.5 cm (11 5/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1947.188
Location: 103 Roman

Did You Know?

The carving of this head was never finished.

Description

Several unusual features of this head suggest that its carving was never finished in antiquity. These include unfinished hair around the ears, small bumps remaining in the hair near the front and top of the head, and the lack of a finely polished surface. Although said to have been found in Egypt, the head is carved of dolomitic marble thought to come from the Saliari region of the northern Greek island of Thasos.
  • Sinadino, Alexandria; Ferdinand Fonseca, Paris
  • Wunderlich, Silvia A. "A Marble Head of a Youth." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 35, no. 3 (1948): 37-39. Ill. on cover. 25141446
    Herrmann, John J. "Thasos and the Ancient Marble Trade: Evidence from American Museums," in J. Paul Getty Museum. Marble: Art Historical and Scientific Perspectives on Ancient Sculpture, eds. M. True and J. Podany, pp. 73-100. Malibu, Calif: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1990. Discussed and illustrated, pp. 88, 90, 93, Fig. 26.
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 24 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 24 archive.org
  • {{cite web|title=Portrait Head of a Youth|url=false|author=|year=1–100 CE|access-date=10 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.188