The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 21, 2024

Portrait Head of a Noble or Official

Portrait Head of a Noble or Official

175–200 CE
marble
Overall: 38.2 cm (15 1/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1952.260
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

When acquired, this portrait was thought to depict Lucius Verus, co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius (reigned AD 161–69).

Description

A nobleman or government official is likely depicted in this portrait of a curly-haired man with a full beard. These features, together with drilled pupils and irises on the eyes, typically do not appear in Roman sculpture prior to the reign of Hadrian (AD 117–38), an admirer of Greek culture. Deeply carved beards and curls remain popular in portraiture throughout (and beyond) the Antonine period (AD 138–92), when this sculpture was probably made.
  • ?-1952
    Mrs. Paul Mallon (d. 1977), New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1952-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. "A Roman Imperial Portrait of Lucius Verus." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 40, no. 3 (1953): 47-50. www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 42 archive.org
    Carter, Martha L. Classical Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1961. Mentioned and reproduced: p.12; Plate 20 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 25 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. 25 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 29 archive.org
    Kozloff, Arielle P. Classical Art: A Brief Guide to the Collection, the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: The Museum, 1989. Pp. 17-18, fig. 37.
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 14 archive.org
  • Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984).
    Gods and Heroes, Baroque Images of Antiquity. Wildenstein & Co., New York, NY (organizer) (October 29, 1968-January 4, 1969).
    Juxtapositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 11-October 10, 1965).
    Art: The International Language. The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 2-November 4, 1956).
  • {{cite web|title=Portrait Head of a Noble or Official|url=false|author=|year=175–200 CE|access-date=21 September 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.260