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Head of a kouros (youth)
Greek
Archaic Period
530–515 B.C.
Place of Manufacture: Greece, Attica, Athens
Medium/Technique
Marble, probably from the Greek island of Paros (J. Herrmann 30 Jan 04). "Greek, from the Attic mainland", according to Comstock and Vermeule. G. M. A. Richter states "Island marble," which has been shown to be Paros II in many cases
Dimensions
Height: 25 cm (9 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession Number34.169
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 013; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 106 (additional published references).
DescriptionThe two rows of spiral curls around the forehead and temple are the chief characteristic of the head, but the incised eyebrow, the beautifully proportioned eye, and the delicate corner of the mouth are also striking. The surface of the skull is left rough, showing marks of the claw chisel. At the back, the hair is short and ends in another double row of spirals, left partly unfinished. The ear separates these spirals from those of the forehead.
Where not broken, the surfaces are exceptionally fresh, with an even yellow coloring.
The head and part of the neck are preserved, but the right side of the face, including right ear, eye, nose, nearly all of the mouth and chin are broken away. Traces of red color appear on the iris of the incised eye and on the hair, including the ringlets. Part of a "meniskos" or crescent-shaped depression is left in the apex (on the top) of the head.
Where not broken, the surfaces are exceptionally fresh, with an even yellow coloring.
The head and part of the neck are preserved, but the right side of the face, including right ear, eye, nose, nearly all of the mouth and chin are broken away. Traces of red color appear on the iris of the incised eye and on the hair, including the ringlets. Part of a "meniskos" or crescent-shaped depression is left in the apex (on the top) of the head.
ProvenanceJune 27, 1932, sold by Edward Zoumpoulakis (dealer) to Brummer Gallery, New York (stock no. P9004) [see note]; 1934, sold by Brummer Gallery to the MFA for $3800. (Accession Date: May 3, 1934)
NOTE: Said by the dealer at the time of the acquisition to have been found near Athens in 1922.
NOTE: Said by the dealer at the time of the acquisition to have been found near Athens in 1922.