Roman veristic portrait bust
- Title:
- Roman veristic portrait bust
- Collection:
- Cornell Cast Collection
- Creator:
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (reproduction)
Unknown (original)
- Photographer:
- Mericle, Danielle
- Date:
- ca. 1915
ca. 20-40 CE
- Site:
- Italy (original)
- Location:
- Goldwin Smith Hall (Room 128), Cornell University
previously, Goldwin Smith Hall (Ground floor showcase)
Italy (original) - ID Number:
- CCC_0784
- Accession Number:
- two illegible numbers in back
black point in front
619 - File Name:
- CCC_0784.tif
- Original Measurements:
- 36.5 (H) cm
- Culture:
- Roman
- Style/Period:
- Early Imperial, Julio-Claudian
- Work Type:
- casts (sculpture)
portrait bust - Materials/Techniques:
- plaster cast (sculpture)
marble sculpture in the round (original) - Subject:
- Portrait sculpture, Roman
- Image View Type:
- overall
- Image View Description:
- from front
- Measurement:
- 50.7 (with pedestal) x 35.7 (without pedestal) x 30.5 x 24.5 (centimeters, height x height x width x diameter)
- Description:
- This is a cast of a marble bust of an old Roman man in veristic style. The original is housed in New York at the Metropolitan. The man looks ahead with an intense sternness, his brow heavily furrowed. Deep wrinkles and sagging skin emphasize his advanced age. He has smallish eyes with heavy lids, a broad and pronounced nose, and lips that are thin and downturned. While he appears bald, the hairline is slightly raised and hair was likely emphasized with paint. The authenticity of the original has been questioned, but Zanker (134) asserts with certainty its authenticity, citing accretions on its underside that have survived modern cleaning attempts. The bust was also recut in modern times to cover damage. This reworking emphasizes wrinkles and gives the face a more severe--and early 20th c.--appearance. The bust was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1912. The cast had to have been acquired by Cornell after that date. It is in generally good condition with some minor stains and some damage to the base.
- Notes:
- Items in the Cornell Cast Collection are meant for inventory and reference purposes. Metadata may not be complete in all cases.
no. 12.233 - Bibliography:
- Paul Zanker, Roman Portraits: Sculptures in Stone and Bronze in the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016), 133–34, no. 42.
Edward Robinson, "A Roman Portrait Bust," Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 8 no. 5 (1913), 93, 101–2.
See also: http://metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248722 - Repository:
- Cornell University (current)
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art (original) - Collecting Program:
- Cornell Collections of Antiquities
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- The images in the Cornell Collection of Antiquities: Casts are protected by copyright, and the copyright holders are their creators, generally Cornell University Library, Annetta Alexandridis, and Verity Platt. This collection of plaster casts owned by Cornell University was photographed by Cornell University Library, Alexandridis, Platt, and Andreya L. Mihaloew from 2010-2015, with funding from a Digital Collections in Arts and Sciences Grant to Annetta Alexandridis. Cornell is providing access to the materials for research and personal use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Please contact Annetta Alexandridis and Verity Platt for more information about this collection, or to request permission to use these images.