Identifying a Roman Sculpture from 100-200 CE The sculpture in Unknown #4 depicts the upper body of a middle-aged man. Thick, wavy hair falls to the figure’s ears and covers most of its forehead. Bushy eyebrows overhang deep-set eyes, whose lids crinkle at the edges. The figure stares pensively off to its right. A thick beard covers its lower cheeks, upper lip, and chin, and extends onto the neck. Lines span downwards from the nostrils, framing the mouth. Thin lips twist slightly under the mustache. The figure’s nose is crooked and large, as are the ears. A few lines etch across the neck under the beard. In contrast to the defined and specifically personal head, the chest area is as smooth as the stone allows. Apart from imperfections in the
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The appearance of irises and pupils in Roman sculpture arose somewhere between the late 1st century CE and 176 CE; both Flavian women (c. 90 CE) (Stockstad 190-191) are portrayed with pupil- and iris-less eyes, whereas the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius (176 CE) (Stockstad 201) looks out from albeit simple pupils. The eyes most similar to the unknown figure’s are those of the bust of Commodus as Hercules (191-192 CE) (Stockstad 203); later than that, in the early 4th century, Roman artists began sculpting extremely large and stylized eyes. The figure must have been carved before such large eyes came into style; it was probably created between mid- and late 2nd century Rome, based on the style of its eyes. Carved from marble, the statue is bright and draws the eye of the viewer away from the background. Many Roman sculptures were created in either bronze or marble, so the fact that the unknown figure is carved from marble suggests, but does not prove, its Roman origin: many Greek sculptures were also made from marble, but the inclusion of flaws, such as wrinkles, a crooked nose, and old eyes, help to classify the work as
The appearance of irises and pupils in Roman sculpture arose somewhere between the late 1st century CE and 176 CE; both Flavian women (c. 90 CE) (Stockstad 190-191) are portrayed with pupil- and iris-less eyes, whereas the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius (176 CE) (Stockstad 201) looks out from albeit simple pupils. The eyes most similar to the unknown figure’s are those of the bust of Commodus as Hercules (191-192 CE) (Stockstad 203); later than that, in the early 4th century, Roman artists began sculpting extremely large and stylized eyes. The figure must have been carved before such large eyes came into style; it was probably created between mid- and late 2nd century Rome, based on the style of its eyes. Carved from marble, the statue is bright and draws the eye of the viewer away from the background. Many Roman sculptures were created in either bronze or marble, so the fact that the unknown figure is carved from marble suggests, but does not prove, its Roman origin: many Greek sculptures were also made from marble, but the inclusion of flaws, such as wrinkles, a crooked nose, and old eyes, help to classify the work as