Head from an Acrolithic Statue

440–420 B.C.

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

23.3 × 11.1 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-227032

This head was created in the acrolithic technique, in which marble was used only for those body parts showing flesh, while the hair and drapery would have been made of other materials (e.g., limestone, bronze, or stucco). All of these additions are missing today. The back of the head is a roughly worked sloping plane with a large square hole in the center. Traces of stucco remain on this surface. Four holes near the hairline on the left side of the head and five on the right may have been used for attachments in metal or stone. The figure has an oval face and a strong, wide neck. The lips are full; the jaw is wide and powerful. The eyelids are well articulated and the brow stylistically suggested by a subtle ridge. The left eye sits higher than the right leaving the face asymmetrical when viewed from the front. Incised on the neck are three so-called Venus rings. The technique and large size suggest that the head belonged to a sculpture of a divinity, but which one remains enigmatic.