Getty Museum

Head of a Ptolemaic Ruler

Date

late 3rd–2nd century B.C.

Medium

Marble

Culture

Greek

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

The head is well over twice life-size and the working of the undersurface of the neck indicates that it would have originally been set on a statue. There is also a large square dowel hole cut vertically into the neck for attaching the head to its statue. The head is set on a thick neck and made to look up and to turn to the left, forming creases on the neck; these are engraved, not modeled. The now badly damaged mouth is open with the line of the upper teeth indicated. The rounded face looks soft and fat, with a sagging underchin and jowl; it is constructed with formal simplicity. The surface of the face is smooth and devoid of detail. The eyes are large, outlined by simple flat lids, and set shallowly in the head. The eyebrows are plasically modeled ridges. The nose, the lower part of the mouth, and chin are broken off, and the surface of the face and neck is chipped and scratched. The top and back of the head, with most of the hair are missing; these would have been added separately in stucco. Crudely worked locks of hair remain around the face and over the right ear.

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