Archaic male head
Archaic male head
Date550-500 BCE
Mediumlimestone
Dimensionsobject: 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
ClassificationSCULPTURE
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Wright S. Ludington
Object number1978.4.1
Subject(s)
- men
- heads and faces
Collection
- Antiquity
Sub-Collection(s)
- Mediterranean
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextThis head was originally part of an over life-sized votive statue of a type common in archaic Cyprus. Votive statues were set up in religious sanctuaries as gifts to the god, and typically represented a person in festive garb, often holding out an additional gift. This mature male, who would have stood in formal role and mantle, wears a celebratory laurel wreath and has had his hair and beard stylishly groomed. All of these elements, as well as his eyes, would also have been painted in rich, bright colors. With its almond-shaped eyes, upturned mouth, and snail-curl ringlets of hair, this head could have been produced in Greece. It is a fine example of the rich cultural syntheses that marked the island of Cyprus in antiquity.
