Head of a Goddess

1st century B.C.–1st century A.D.

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

32.1 × 30.5 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-239353

This head of a female figure is over life-size, and may be from a statue of a goddess. The face is square-shaped with a low brow. The eyes are large with well-defined lids. The nose is small and straight above a closed mouth with full lips. The corners of the mouth are marked with small drill holes. The bottom half of the ears appear beneath the hair; the one on the proper right side is carved more carefully than the one on the left. There is also a tendril of hair carved in low relief on the right cheek in front of the ear. These details suggest that the figure was positioned so that the right side presented itself to the viewer; the break on the left neck indicates that the head was turned to the left. Fleshy areas are polished in contrast to the rougher texture of the hair, which is parted in the middle, pulled back at the sides, and gathered into a bun worn low on the back of her neck. A braid encircles her head. There are two perpendicular grooves on the top of her head, perhaps for a now-missing clamp.