Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait Head of a Man

RomanLinkedCulture matchlcp-e70b76de214d

Date: Mid–3rd century
Medium: Marble
Culture: Italy
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 48931

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

This head, which depicts a man crowned with a wreath, might be a portrait of an emperor. His facial features, including almond-shaped eyes, tight-lipped mouth, faint mustache, and neck whiskers, as well as his triangular head, which tapers toward the chin, suggest his possible identification as Gallienus (r. A.D. 253–68). This type of wreath, which is composed of grape vines and ivy, was worn by Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and theater. Emperors frequently associated themselves with gods by adopting their attributes, or symbols, as numerous emperors portrayed themselves in the guise of Jupiter (the Greek Zeus), the supreme god of the pantheon.

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Provenance & credit

As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.

Credit line: Katherine K. Adler Memorial Fund
Provenance: Heinz Herzer and co., Munich, Germany by March 28, 1975 [receipt in curatorial file]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1975.