Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A handsome, realistic marble head of a youth with tightly curled hair and wide open eyes. The sculptor had great skill to shape the hard, creamy white marble to create a face with unique details, including the start of a crease on the forehead, a flat nose, and a slightly dimpled chin. Comes with custom stand. Size: 3.65" L x 3.5" W x 5.1" H (9.3 cm x 8.9 cm x 13 cm); height on stand: 8.2" (20.8 cm).

Marble statuary was everywhere in ancient Rome; even after all of the plundering that Rome underwent after the fall of the Roman Empire, we can still see a tremendous amount of marble statuary, including friezes, busts, and full body statues, throughout the city. As a Roman citizen, you would have seen a world decorated with sculpted pieces like this one; they would have been brightly colored, gilded, or given inlays of shell or other stone. Today, with age taking them down to their original stone, they have attained a solemn, timeless look.

Provenance: Ex-private Mazard Family Collection, NYC acquired in the 1980s

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#120481

Expected wear from age, with small losses to nose. Base of neck has been drilled for stand.