Head of a Man

Class and production: sculpture / reliefs

Subject: Jupiter

Culturale context: Greek art in Roman period / workshop from Aphrodisias

Date: second half of the 2nd century A.D.

Description

This head once belonged to a high relief, probably of votive destination, and was supposed to be originally turned on left because of the inaccurate finishing of the left part of his face. The head represents a god because of the noble and idealized appearance. He can be interpreted as Olympian Jupiter because of the characteristic hairstyle and the wreath of olive tree around his head. Technical details such as a widespread use of the drill and the comparison with contemporary official sculpture especially with works by the Aphrodisias School, suggest an attribution to the second century A.D.

Materials and techniques: white-grey italic marble

Dimensions: height 20.8 cm

Provenance: Mantova Benavides Collection, Padua; Vallisneri Collection, Padua

University of Padua, Museum of Archaeological Sciences and Art

Cat. Number: MB92

Bibliography

• Beschi Luigi, Una testa di Giove nella Collezione di Antichità dell'Università di Padova, in Arte Antica e Moderna, 2 (1958), pp. 99-113.
• De Paoli Marcella, 18.Testa di Giove, in Un Museo di Antichità nella Padova del Cinquecento. La raccolta di Marco Mantova Benavides all'Università di Padova, a cura di Irene Favaretto, Alessandra Menegazzi, Roma, Giorgio Bretschneider, 2013, pp. 41- 42.