Getty Museum

Bust of a Boy with the Attributes of Herakles

Date

150–100 B.C.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Greek

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

This thinly-cast bust depicts a youth wearing a lion-skin over his head and a quiver strap across the chest. The figure has delicate features and fine hair that is drawn up in a braid with tendrils falling onto his forehead. Two small holes at the bottom edge may have been used to attach this bust to a piece of furniture. The figure may depict a young Herakles, or an unidentifiable youth in the guise of the great hero. A third possibility is that this young man is Eros, who was often depicted with attributes associated with Herakles.

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