Head fragment (sculpture)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
Unknown
Materials
Marble
Measurements
240 mm (H)200 mm (W)130 mm (D)
Order this imageCollection
Downhill, County Londonderry
NT 180516
Summary
Fragment of over life-size bearded male portrait head with long broad face and short nose of the Severan period. Circa AD 200. The head was a high quality portrait head and represents the apex of Roman sculptural production. The eyes are carefully shaped and carved to seem alive, and the thick curly beard hair stands out against the softly modeled face. The long beard in conjunction with the unruly hair that is combed forward over the brow suggest that the sitter was assuming the look of a philosopher. Philosophers and intellectuals were generally characterized by long unkempt beards and a lack of fashion hairstyles.