Marble portrait bust of a young man
Marble portrait bust of a young man
3D
Published 2019-07-08T14:17:32+00:00
This dazzling bust of a young man with a luxuriant head of curles and an expanse of chest that evokes Classical bronze sculpture of the fifth century B.C. was created in Athens furing the mid-second century A.D. to memorialize a beautiful youth by identifying his image with those of ancient Greek mythological heroes. In the Antonine period, elaborate coiffures such as this one were fashionable among the jeunesse dorée. The two portraits of the emperor Lucius Verus, demonstrate the deeply drilled carving style that was developed in Rome to convey the light and dark effects within such curls. Greek sculptors sought a more plastic rendering; each lock on this head varies and ends with an individualized snail-like curl. Not only fashionable, the full head of hair, the sharp turn of the head, nude chest, casually draped cloak, and ribbon-like sword belt all evoked associations with images of the Homeric heroes and the glorious past of Classical Greece. The mid-second century A.D. was a period in which the Greeks attempted to bring new life to their ancient cultural traditions. The fusion of contemporary and heroic in this portrait bust has created an unforgettable masterpiece.
| Date published | 08/07/2019 |
| Complexity | Difficult |
| Title | Marble portrait bust of a young ma |
| Date | 161-180 AD |
| Accession | L.2007.8.12 |
| Period | Antonine |
| Medium | Marble |
| Credit | Promised Gift of Leon Levy and Shelby White |
| Artist | Unknown artist |
| Place | Metropolitan Museum of Art |
