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Head Of A Victorious Athlete

Date early 20th century (plaster cast), around 340 BC (original)
Object type plaster cast
Medium, technique plaster
Dimensions

27 x 16 x 17 cm

Inventory number Ag.301
Collection Classical Antiquites - Plaster casts
On view Star Fortress (Komárom), Portraits of Roman Emperors, Gallery XI

The surface of the head, originally carved of Pentelic marble, is strongly abraded. The deep-set eyes are framed by broadly arched eyebrows. On the left side of the head, the hair was extensively reworked. The head, turned slightly to the left, must have belonged to a nude body. The ribbon tied around the hair suggests that the portrait shows a victorious athlete of the Olympian Games. The characteristic “cauliflower ears” were typical in the representation of wrestlers, pancrators, and boxers. The short hair and the facial features liken the figure to Heracles — in fact, the statue was earlier identified as a depiction of the hero.

References

Hekler, Antal, Az antik gipszgyűjtemény I-II., Budapest, 1919-1920, 1923, no. no. 368.

This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.

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