Portrait of a Bearded Male
Marble
Roman, probably from Asia Minor
2nd or, perhaps, 3rd century A.D.
Height: 4 3/4 inches (12 cm.)
This sensitively carved small portrait of finely polished marble is a superb image in miniature that equals the finest life-size Roman portraits. The hair, beard and brows are carefully defined, the cheek bones pronounced and the gaze directed slightly upwards. The subject’s hairstyle recalls certain Antonine fashions and suggests a date in the late 2nd century A.D. Our head probably hails from the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, more specifically Asia Minor, and finds its closest comparison in a small bearded head found at Aphrodisias and dated to the late 2nd or early 3rd century A.D.
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