Description
This bronze portrait has a boyish close-cropped hairstyle and rounded forehead. The irises of the eyes are now hollow but were once inlaid with material, possibly glass. The head was likely set into a body or bust and placed inside a tomb. This portrait head is distinctive for the particular arrangement of the comma-shaped locks of hair, which resembles portraiture during the later period of the reign of Tiberius (AD 25–30), a Julio-Claudian emperor. Some scholars believe that the earrings identify the figure as an Armenian prince, while others believe this to be a portrait of a young girl.
Provenance
Acanthus Gallery, New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1985); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland OH (1985-)
Accession Number
1985.138
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
Overall: 9.7 cm (3 13/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund