A ROMAN MARBLE HEAD OF A BOY

CIRCA 1ST-EARLY 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE HEAD OF A BOY
circa 1st-early 2nd century a.d.
With long wavy locks of hair radiating from the back of the head, the long locks curling along the forehead and deeply undercut along the sides of the face, suggesting that the original position of the head was leaning forward, with a somewhat square chin, the corners of his mouth slightly down-turned, the almond-shaped eyes with modeled lids beneath contoured brows
7 in. (17.8 cm.) high

Lot Essay

The style of this head finds its closest parallel with the bronze statue of a boy leaning forward to remove a thorn from his foot, the so-called Spinario in the Conservatori Museum in Rome. The Spinario is most likely a Roman creation which fuses Hellenistic elements, namely the genre of the subject and the complexity of the pose, with a Severe style head. The topic is discussed on pp. 131-133 in Ridgway, The Severe Style in Greek Sculpture.