Head fragment (sculpture)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
Unknown
Materials
Stone
Measurements
330 mm (H)220 mm (W)250 mm (D)
Order this imageCollection
Downhill, County Londonderry
NT 180514
Summary
Portrait head for insertion, depicting a Roman man of the Second Century AD depicting a full bearded mature Roman man with wavy locks. Drapery rises on the left side of the neck and shows that the head was inserted into a draped statue. The shape of the neck and drapery attached to it indicate that this head was made separately to be inserted into a draped, probably togate statue. This was not an uncommon practice in the Roman period. The hairstyle and beard style and the technique of the carving are plausible for a date of ca. AD 140. The antiquity of the piece is probably further secured by the dowel at the top of the head and the repairs in the ears and nose. There would be no reason for these repairs in a head of the 18th century.