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Portrait Head of Man from a Statue

Culture Roman
Title Portrait Head of Man from a Statue
Date 20 BCE–50 CE
Medium Marble
Dimensions Overall: 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm)
Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 75.33.4

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About this Work

This finely made marble sculpture portrays a young man with social status. It follows the newly developing imperial style. Portraits in this style are rooted in the ultra-realistic presentations that were popular in the previous Republican period. Their naturalism, however, is slightly idealistic. Augustus, the first Roman emperor, was interested in echoing the calm dignity of classical Greek statuary as a way of summoning associations with authority as well as virtuosity. It is possible that this head from a life-sized statue was a portrait of someone in the emperor Augustus's family. Based on the resemblance to other identified portraits, this head may represent Marcus Claudius Marcellus (42 to 23 BCE), the son of Augustus's sister, Octavia.


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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"Portrait Head of Man from a Statue | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=75.33.4