Art Institute of Chicago

Statue of a Young Boy

RomanLinkedCulture matchlcp-e70b76de214d

Date: 1st century
Medium: Marble
Culture: Italy
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 51503

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

Representations of children were popular in both public and private art during the Roman imperial period. It is uncertain whether this statue is a portrait of a specific child or was inspired by a basic type that had originated among the Greeks several centuries earlier. The boy, who has a head of curly hair, rounded cheeks, and a pudgy belly, gazes downward and to the side. It is possible that he is admiring a pet at his feet, as Roman statues of children frequently depict them with companion animals such as geese, doves, and puppies.

View at Art Institute of Chicago ↗

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.

Get printable QR codes

Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.

Open this page

See at Art Institute of Chicago

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: European Art Market, prior to 1976 [this and the following according to correspondence in curatorial object file]; Bruce McAlpine (b. 1947), London, England, by 1976; sold to the Art Institute, 1976.