2012.1.2: Head of a Man

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2012.1.2

Title

Head of a Man

Classification

Sculpture

Work Type

sculpture, head

Date

3rd-4th century

Places

Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Syria

Period

Roman Imperial period, Late

Culture

Roman

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/186175

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Limestone

Technique

Carved

Dimensions

27.94 cm (11 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

[Charles Dikran Kelekian, New York 1968 ] sold; to The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (1965-2012) transfer; to The Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University

Accession Year

2012

Object Number

2012.1.2

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

Currently fragmentary, this head of a man may have originally been part of a funerary monument. The face is frontal; the man's eyes and eyebrows are carved in simple lines and circles. The modeling of the face below the eyes is more natural, with high cheekbones, sunken cheeks, deep lines on either side of the nose and mouth, and closed lips with a slightly frowning expression. The nose is broken. The hair of the figure is simple, with thick locks separated by simple wavy lines. The ears are large and prominent, with the anatomical details simply rendered. Cuts and abrasions are present all over the face; the surface of the jaw shows chisel marks that may be meant to represent a beard.

Publication History

• John Crawford, Sidney Goldstein, George M. A. Hanfmann, John Kroll, Judith Lerner, Miranda Marvin, Charlotte Moore, and Duane Roller, Objects of Ancient Daily Life. A Catalogue of the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection Belonging to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, ed. Jane Waldbaum, Department of the Classics (unpublished manuscript, 1970), S2, p. 23-28 [G. M. A. Hanfmann]

Exhibition History

• Art of the Late Antique from American Collections, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, 12/18/1968 - 02/16/1969
• Roman Gallery Installation (long-term), Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/16/1999 - 01/20/2008

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