Bust of a Child

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Culture Roman

Title Bust of a Child

Date 10–100 CE

Medium Terracotta

Dimensions Object: 5 1/2 × 4 1/2 × 4 in. (14 × 11.4 × 10.2 cm)
Overall: 5 1/2 × 4 1/2 × 4 in. (14 × 11.4 × 10.2 cm)

Credit Line Burton Y. Berry Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 64.58.8

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About this Work

Portraits of children from wealthy aristocratic families are abundant in the Roman era. The use of terracotta, a material less expensive than marble or bronze, may indicate a minor patrician family, but the portrait of this young boy is skillfully made. It was likely to have been part of a herm (post with head) and used as a memorial. The child wears a bulla around his neck; these round amulets were given to boys just after birth and worn as protective amulets until their coming of age ceremony.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Bust of a Child | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=64.58.8