Head of a Statue of a Hellenistic Ruler

3rd century B.C.

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

40 × 27 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-251379

Over life-sized head of a Hellenistic ruler, broken off from a statue. The chin, upper lip, nose, and right forehead are broken off. The lower lip is partially preserved. The surface is weathered, especially on the right side. There are two sets of cuttings for attributes: 1) ten small dowel holes around the head and, 2) two large square holes cut in the temples. The cavities and the holes indicate two phases of representation. The head originally had fuller marble hair with some type of wreath or diadem attached by iron dowels in the smaller holes. In the second version, the wreath or diadem was taken off and the dowels removed, except for two at the back, which were broken or cut off in their holes. The hair was then cut back all over to take a type of headdress with large horns secured in the temple cavities. The headdress could have consisted or a helmet with bull horns or an elephant-scalp with tusks. The portrait is of a generalized type with the facial features not following any closely defined model.