CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN BRONZE HEAD OF A MAN
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
Lifesized, exquisitely modelled, depicting a youthful man with smooth skin, high cheekbones and a rounded slightly-protruding chin, his long straight nose rounded at the tip, the sensual fleshy lips slightly parted, his hair composed of full, luscious tousled curls naturalistically rendered with the individual strands delineated, the now-hollow eyes with sharp upper and lower lids, originally set with inlays likely of translucent glass, stone, or precious metal, perhaps within copper envelopes, the edges of which could be cut to form the lashes, the gently-arching brows grooved to receive now-missing inlays, perhaps of copper, flourishes that would have animated the statue
12 in. (30.5 cm.) high

Provenance

Acquired by the current owner's father prior to 1980.

Lot Essay

The absence of an attribute or surviving comparables makes the identification of this bronze difficult. The unruly hair is reminiscent of some Roman depictions of Apollo, such as the Chigi Apollo in Rome (see no. 52 in Simon and Bauchhenss, "Apollon/Apollo" in LIMC, vol. II), but it differs in that the hair of the Chigi Apollo completely covers the ears.

The style of the sculpture is typical of the trend toward archaism in Roman art of the 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D. It is an eclectic creation indebted to earlier Greek forms. The proportions of the face and especially the lips recall Greek art of the Severe Style, from the early 5th century B.C., while the hair is more typical of the late Classical Period, from the early 4th century B.C. The Romans were voracious collectors of earlier Greek art, and when the supply could not meet the demand, workshops, very often staffed by Greeks such as Pasiteles and his pupils Stephanus and Menelaus, created these "antique" figures, either direct copies or, as here, interpretations of Greek originals.

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