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Head of Demeter
Roman
Imperial Period
about A.D. 130–160
Place of Manufacture: Italy (probably), Lazio
Medium/Technique
Marble from the Greek island of Paros
Dimensions
Height x length (of face): 44 x 22.3 cm (17 5/16 x 8 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Julia Bradford Huntington James Fund and Museum purchase with funds donated by contribution
Accession Number16.62
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 135; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 110 (additional published references).
DescriptionOver-life-sized head and neck of a goddess. This head originally belonged to a standing figure, heavily draped in chiton and himation. The figure stood with the head turned slightly to the left, the treatment of the hair showing the original to have been of bronze. Thick, wavy tresses are carried from a central parting to the sides of the head. They come down low on the forehead and terminate in spiral curls which frame the face and extend as far as the shoulders. The eyebrows are rendered as sharp lines, continuing down the bridge of the nose. The closed mouth, slightly depressed at the corners and with prominent under-lip, enhances the severity of expression, brought out also by the heavy chin. The hair loose on the goddess' shoulders probably indicates that she is Demeter mourning for her abducted daughter Kore/Persephone.
It was probably worked for insertion as a repair or possibly intended as a bust. The bottom surface slopes downward from back to front and presents a ridge on the proper right side.The base of the neck is broken along the front and left side; the tip of the nose and the ends of some of the curls are missing. The eyes and the chin have been slightly injured. The surface of the left side of the face and the upper lip is corroded and the right side presents signs of recutting, probably to remove burial accretions.
Scientific Analysis:
Harvard Lab No. HI726: Isotope ratios - delta13C +4.96 / delta18O -2.67, Attribution - Paros 1, Justification - Fine to medium grained marble with glassy reflections.
It was probably worked for insertion as a repair or possibly intended as a bust. The bottom surface slopes downward from back to front and presents a ridge on the proper right side.The base of the neck is broken along the front and left side; the tip of the nose and the ends of some of the curls are missing. The eyes and the chin have been slightly injured. The surface of the left side of the face and the upper lip is corroded and the right side presents signs of recutting, probably to remove burial accretions.
Scientific Analysis:
Harvard Lab No. HI726: Isotope ratios - delta13C +4.96 / delta18O -2.67, Attribution - Paros 1, Justification - Fine to medium grained marble with glassy reflections.
ProvenanceSaid to come from Rome [see note]. 1916, sold by Ugo Iandolo (dealer), Rome, through Harold Woodbury Parsons (b. 1882 - d. 1967), to the MFA for $10,000. (Accession Date: March 2, 1916)
Note: A letter from H. W. Parsons to Arthur Fairbanks dated January 9, 1916, states “it was excavated in Rome and found at a considerable depth; but it was covered over, built around, with slabs of tiles and marble arranged like a sarcophagus. The head was lying face up, and the moisture dripping through onto one side has somewhat corroded the left cheek.”
Note: A letter from H. W. Parsons to Arthur Fairbanks dated January 9, 1916, states “it was excavated in Rome and found at a considerable depth; but it was covered over, built around, with slabs of tiles and marble arranged like a sarcophagus. The head was lying face up, and the moisture dripping through onto one side has somewhat corroded the left cheek.”