Getty Museum

Portrait Statue of a Youth

Date

A.D. 200–300

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Roman

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

This under-life-size nude figure of a youth stands with his right arm raised, the fingers of his right hand curled to indicate that he likely held an object, perhaps a staff or lance. His left arm is lowered, and his posture is slightly contrapposto, with his left leg drawn back, and the weight of his left foot resting on his toes. His head is turned slightly to the left, and the hair is treated as a series of short strands that curl slightly at their ends. It grows forward from the crown of the head, and is cut short along the brow, over the ears and at the nape of the neck. His eyes are articulated with an incised iris and a circular pupil. His upturned gaze follows the leftward direction of his head. A row of ancient repairs (rectangular patches) run down his inner right leg. The figure's pose and heroic nudity may be based on a figure of Alexander the Great created by Lysippos, the so-called "Alexander with the Lance." The youth's portrait does not resemble any imperial figure of the time, and it is possible that he is a prince or private individual, a statue of whom may have been made after death for the purpose of a private apotheosis.

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