Head of female statue



Head of female statue

Γ76
Stone (White marble)
Broken at base of neck. Chipping on all prominent facial features, nose broken
Pres. height: 30 cm.
Ierapetra
Roman period:
50-100 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)
Sculpture 7th c. BC - 4th c. AD
Description
Bust of a young woman tilted slightly right. The oval face, small eyes and mouth, and narrow chin indicate that this is probably a portrait of a real person rather than an idealised goddess. The wavy locks, with a central parting, are gathered on the nape of the neck in a plait, most of it broken off, that originally continued down the back. There are small free curls behind and under the ears. The features are strongly reminiscent of sculpted heads of Aphrodite and portraits of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (such as Agrippina the Younger), but somewhat imperfectly and shallowly executed, probably by a local artisan. These features, combined with the basic dating indication that the pupils of the eyes are not drilled, mean that the bust is probably dated to the second half of the 1st c. AD rather than later.
Bibliography:
N. Platon, A Guide to the Archaeological Museum of Heraclion, Athens 1964, 157. S. Alexiou, Οδηγός Αρχαιολογικού Μoυσείου Ηρακλείου, Athens 1968,135.
Author:
K. S.


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