Tondo
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
1700 - 1800
Materials
Black and Carrara marbles
Measurements
450 x 320 x 120 mm
Collection
Farnborough Hall, Warwickshire
NT 831162
Summary
Oval tondo with ancient head of Socrates. Left profile of head of Socrates set into medallion. Eighteenth century. Profile bust clamped or plastered into medallion. The medallion and the bust are made from two pieces of stone. The background of the medallion has been painted an onyx colour. There is no damage.
Provenance
The portrait head of an elderly man with a snub nose and a balding pate is easily recognizable as Socrates. It loosely follows the Type B portrait made in the Hellenistic period for the famous philosopher. None of these portraits are, however, entirely bald. Thus, the true model seems to be a gem; there is a similar representation on a carnelian in the collection of the Duke of Devonshire. This would explain both the bald head and the drapery around the small area of neck, which is depicted. Such drapery never occurs in portraiture in the round.