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Helmeted head of Mars (Ares)
Roman Provincial
Imperial Period
about A.D. 100-135
Place of Manufacture: Roman Empire (Asia Minor)
Medium/Technique
Marble from Dokimeion (modern Afyon) in west-central Asia Minor
Dimensions
Height: 44 cm (17 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius C. Vermeule III, by exchange
Accession Number1977.712
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), no. 021.
DescriptionHelmeted head of a bearded man, possibly the god Ares/Mars or a portrait inspired by the god. Possibly a copy after the colossal cult image in the temple of Ares at Halicarnassus, once attributed to Leochares or Timotheos (Vitruvius, II, 8, 11).
Straight break at the neck covered with accretions. The nose is missing and the visor and crest have been chipped. The latter also shows signs of reworking. The head, particularly the skin areas of the face, was cleaned aggressively to remove brown encrustations. Traces of red paint visible in the hair and beard, and yellow on the crest.
Scientific Analysis:
Harvard Lab No. HI245: Isotope ratios - delta13C +1.58 / delta18O -4.29, Attribution - Dokimeion, Justification - Fine grained marble.
Straight break at the neck covered with accretions. The nose is missing and the visor and crest have been chipped. The latter also shows signs of reworking. The head, particularly the skin areas of the face, was cleaned aggressively to remove brown encrustations. Traces of red paint visible in the hair and beard, and yellow on the crest.
Scientific Analysis:
Harvard Lab No. HI245: Isotope ratios - delta13C +1.58 / delta18O -4.29, Attribution - Dokimeion, Justification - Fine grained marble.
ProvenanceBy 1976, Mohammad Yeganeh (dealer; b. 1929 - d. 2012), London [see note]; 1977, sold by Mohammad Yeganeh to the MFA. (Accession date: October 12, 1977)
NOTE: According to the dealer at the time of acquisition, this is said to have come from Asia Minor, or the Near East.
NOTE: According to the dealer at the time of acquisition, this is said to have come from Asia Minor, or the Near East.