Head fragment (sculpture)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
Unknown
Materials
Marble
Measurements
220 mm (H)195 mm (W)200 mm (D)
Order this imageCollection
Downhill, County Londonderry
NT 180513
Summary
Life-size head of a young man, First century AD, depicting a clean shaven young man with short-cut hair, unparted and sideburns that run far down the cheek. This head of a young man can be dated to the first century AD because of its hairstyle and the lack drilling in the eyes. The long sideburns are an element of Hellenistic fashion that young princes of the Julio-Claudian period (from Gaius Caesar to Nero, ca. 2 BC to AD 54) notably adopted. The head has two remarkable characteristics. The first is that it is made of a large grained shiny marble that comes probably from the island of Paros (fig. 19). This marble had extra value in ancient Rome since it had to be imported from afar and produced a soft sparkling effect. Second, the head shows significant 18th century restoration.