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Bust of an older man
Roman
Late Republican or Imperial Period
about 30 B.C.–A.D. 50
Medium/Technique
Marble, from Carrara in northwest Italy
Dimensions
Overall: 35.5 × 24.9 × 22.2 cm (14 × 9 13/16 × 8 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Benjamin Rowland, Jr., by exchange, and Frank B. Bemis Fund, John H. and Ernestine A. Payne Fund, and Mary S. and Edward J. Holmes Fund
Accession Number1991.534
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionPortrait bust of an unknown man. The bust includes the upper portion of the shoulders and chest. The face shows signs of advanced age with wrinkles lining the forehead, prominent crow’s feet and naso-labial lines, sunken cheeks, and a flat upper lip that may indicate tooth loss. His small eyes are close-set with thin lids. What remains of the nose suggests that it was originally large and broad. He has thin lips that turn doward at the corner, a strong chin with a dimple, and large, prominent ears. The skin of his neck is loose and his jowls are sagging. He also has a prominent Adam’s apple. Despite the aged physiognomy, the portrait has a fullhead of hair, the locks of which are comma-shaped and brushed outward from the crown of his head. The figure’s hair is worn short, cropped close to the skull. The fringe is arranged in a straight line across the forehead with recession at the temples.
The underside of the bust was shaved flat near the front, indicating that it may have been adapted for another use. There is encrustation present on the surface of the marble, most noticeable over the proper left side. The lower part of the nose is missing, there are chips on the chin and edges of the bust, and there is an old gash on the back of the head.
Scientific Analysis:
Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.115 / delta18O -1.661, Attribution - Carrara, Justification (Petrographic Analysis) - maximum grain size (0.9 mm).
The underside of the bust was shaved flat near the front, indicating that it may have been adapted for another use. There is encrustation present on the surface of the marble, most noticeable over the proper left side. The lower part of the nose is missing, there are chips on the chin and edges of the bust, and there is an old gash on the back of the head.
Scientific Analysis:
Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.115 / delta18O -1.661, Attribution - Carrara, Justification (Petrographic Analysis) - maximum grain size (0.9 mm).
Provenance1991, sold by Edoardo Almagià, New York, to the MFA. (Accession Date: September 25, 1991)