#marble head

Marble Portrait of a Child A.D. 150–200

Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry (1730-1803)

Artist: Attributed to Hugh Douglas Hamilton (Irish, 1739/40-1808)

Date: c. 1805

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: National Trust Collections, London, United Kingdom

Description

R.Tanaka - From the series “ No trace of Mr. Braeckman”

Marble head of Alexander the Great. Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece

Most likely a work of the sculptor Leochares. 340-330 BC

Archaeologists in Rome have uncovered a large marble head from Rome’s imperial age that is believed to show Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, music and dance.

The white marble bust, believed to be 2,000 years old, was discoved in the heart of the city, near the Roman Forum, during excavations last week.

The head had been reused to form part of a medieval wall but experts say it is in excellent condition.

The head, with hollow eyes probably once filled with glass or precious stones, would have belonged to a large statue of the god created in the imperial age.

From Wanted in Rome

“The white marble head unearthed during excavations at the Roman Forum on 24 May is believed to represent a male deity, most likely Dionysus, according to Rome archaeologists.”

“Initially it was thought that the head - with its feminine features and thick, wavy hairstyle - represented a female goddess.”

“However, thanks to a band around its head decorated with a "typically Dionysian flower, the corymb, and ivy", it is now believed to be Dionysus, explained the director of Rome's archaeological museums Claudio Parisi Presicce.”