/internal/media/dispatcher/1016166/resize%25253Aformat%25253DthumbnailPortrait head of Socratesabout A.D. 170–195Overall: 20.4cm (8 1/16in.)Marble from Mt. Pentelikon near AthensFrederick Brown Fund60.451This smallish head of Socrates was probably a herm-portrait originally. The vigorous carving belongs to the Antonine period, although it was likely based on a prototype attributed to Lysippos from the fourth century B.C.
Condition: The head is broken at the base of the neck. The nose, now missing, was repaired in antiquity with an iron pin and cement. There are a few modern pick marks on the face. Root marks and a yellow patina cover the surfaces.
Scientific Analysis:
Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.637 / delta18O -5.170, Attribution - Pentelikon, Justification (Petrographic Analysis) - maximum grain size (0.7mm), accessory minerals (muscovite).Sculpture20.400000000015112301