Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait Head of a Philosopher

RomanLinkedCulture matchlcp-e70b76de214d

Date: Second half of the 2nd century
Medium: Marble
Culture: Roman Empire
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 7749

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

The Roman emperor Hadrian (r. A.D. 117–38), who embraced Greek intellectual pursuits, popularized the beard among men young and old, who had previously been clean-shaven. The beard quickly became a fashionable style as well as a sign of one’s interest in classical learning, leading elite Roman men to have themselves portrayed in the guise of philosophers. This portrait of an unidentified man, who wears a full beard and a hairstyle of wavy locks over his forehead, resembles portraits of the Greek philosopher Plato. The introspective eyes, with their heavy lids and drilled pupils, also contribute to the sitter’s intellectual demeanor.

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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: A. A. Sprague Fund
Provenance: Emmanouel "Manolaki" Akoumianakis, Crete [Brummer Gallery Records]; sold to Jean Mikas, Paris, 1922 [Brummer Gallery Records]; sold to Joseph Brummer, New York City, 1922; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1923.r