Head of female portrait statue



Head of female portrait statue

Γ331
White marble
Broken nose and part of lips, chipping on right cheek
Total height: 46.8 cm. Width: 23.5 cm.
Unknown
Roman period:
70-95 AD:
Gallery:
XXVII
Case:
Not in case
Exhibition thematic unit:
Sculpture. Hellenistic period (3rd-2nd c. BC) Roman period (1st c. BC-3rd c. AD)
The art of portraiture
Description
Head and integral neck, separately made for insertion into a portrait statue of a woman. The slight tilt to the left and obvious marks of maturity (neck wrinkles, a slight double chin) are combined with the grace of an idealised portrait. The long, full face with its gentle angles wears a sober expression. The sculptor paid particular attention to the elaborate hairstyle, which copies portraits of ladies of the imperial family (Domitia, Julia Flavia), depicting a widespread fashion of the time. A thick mass of short curls is caught up over the forehead, crowning it, while the rest of the hair is drawn back over the skull in thin, tight braids ending in a perfectly shaped wide bun at the back. The woman portrayed is evidently a member of the Cretan aristocracy of the period, as indicated by the imitation of models from Rome itself.
Bibliography:
N. Platon, A Guide to the Archaeological Museum of Heraclion, Athens 1964, 156. S. Alexiou, Οδηγός Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου Ηρακλείου, Athens 1968, 138. Datsouli-Stavridi, "Τα ρωμαϊκά πορτρέτα του Μουσείου Ηρακλείου", Πεπραγμένα του Δ΄Διεθνούς Κρητολογικού Συνεδρίου, Ηράκλειο, 29 Αυγούστου-3 Σεπτεμβρίου 1976, Αθήνα 1981, 584, pl. 192α. Μ. Lagogianni-Georgarakos, Die Roemischen Portraiets Kretas. I. Bezirk Heraklion, Athen 2002, 75, no. 42, pl. 45.
Author:
K. S.


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