Head of an unknown man
- Date de création
- 195 - 205
- Material
- Göktepe marble, district 3 (Turkey)
- Dimensions
- H. 29 x l. 23,1 x P. 23,7 (cm)
- Inventory number
- Ra 73 f
Although this portrait unearthed at Villa Chiragan was undeniably produced by a workshop in the Urbs (Rome), it is not easily dated. It could be from the late Antonine dynasty, or from the early days of the reign of Septimius Severus, and it is tempting to blame the latter rather than the reign of Marcus Aurelius or Commodus for the exaggerated use of the trepanning tool that has ruined the curls around the temples, and for the beard, which is shorter than during the late Antonine dynasty. This portrait is therefore to be compared with representations of Septimius Severus rather than his predecessors.
This is a middle-aged man, whose features were rendered with less realism than the bust of the unknown man inv. Ra 70, but who nevertheless remains very real, judging by the frowning eyebrows and the rather fixed gaze, as well as by the marked naso-labial folds and the curious expression produced by the slightly open mouth.
According to J.-C. Balty 2020, Les Portraits Romains : L’époque des Sévères, Toulouse, p. 199-204.
Bibliography
- Balty, Cazes 2021 J.-C. Balty, D. Cazes, Les portraits romains, 1 : L’époque des Sévères, 1.3 (Sculptures antiques de Chiragan (Martres-Tolosane), Toulouse. p. 48-54, 199-204
- Espérandieu 1908 É. Espérandieu, Recueil général des bas-reliefs de la Gaule romaine, 2. Aquitaine, Paris. no 951
- Joulin 1901 L. Joulin, Les établissements gallo-romains de la plaine de Martres-Tolosane, Paris. no 275
- Rachou 1912 H. Rachou, Catalogue des collections de sculpture et d’épigraphie du musée de Toulouse, Toulouse. no 73 f
- Roschach 1892 E. Roschach, Catalogue des musées archéologiques de la ville de Toulouse : Musée des Augustins, Musée Saint-Raymond, Toulouse. no 73 f
To cite this notice
Capus P., "Head of an unknown man", in The sculptures of the roman villa of Chiragan, Toulouse, 2019, online <https://villachiragan.saintraymond.toulouse.fr/en/ark:/87276/a_ra_73_f>.