Bust of a Child
| 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 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A bust of a child with pudgy cheeks and a braid of hair at the top of his head. The child wears a necklace with a round pendant around his neck.
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 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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Cite this page
"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