Marble head of an athlete

Unknown

ca. 138–192 CE · Marble · Greek and Roman Art

Copy of a Greek bronze statue of ca. 450–425 B.C. This head of a youth wearing a fillet (band) must have belonged to the statue of a victorious athlete. He probably rested one arm lightly on his head; the remains of a rectangular support can still be seen among his curls. Roman copies often conformed to contemporary taste, and the contrast between polished flesh and deeply drilled hair on this head would have held special appeal for clients in the second century A.D.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 138–192 CE

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1911