Fragment of a Portrait Statue of a Man

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

2nd century

Roman

Beginning in the 1st century A.D., it became increasingly popular among well-to-do Roman men to represent oneself in the guise of a Greek mythological hero. Such portraits, which typically paired a muscular, youthful body with a more mature, realistic portrait head, were intended to equate the individual’s achievements and admirable qualities with those of the favored hero. This statue likely alluded to the Greek hero Diomedes, who played a pivotal role in the Trojan War by stealing the Palladium, a wooden image of the goddess Athena thought to protect the city of Troy from danger.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Roman
Title: Fragment of a Portrait Statue of a Man
Place: Roman Empire (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 101 CE–200 CE
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: 136.8 × 59.7 × 49.5 cm (53 7/8 × 23 1/2 × 19 1/2 in.) (with base)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin E. Hokin
Reference Number: 1972.1231
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/41506/manifest.json

Art Institute of Chicago, “Acquisitions,” Art Institute of Chicago Annual Report (1973), p. 27.
Katharine A. Raff, “Cat. 14 Fragment of a Portrait Statue of a Man: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).
Rachel C. Sabino, with contributions by Lorenzo Lazzarini, “Cat. 14 Fragment of a Portrait Statue of a Man: Technical Report,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).
Katharine A. Raff, “Cat. 18 Torso of a Youth: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016), para 4, fig. 18.6.

Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, November 11, 2012-October 25, 2017 and July 5, 2019 - October 5, 2022.

Mr. Edwin (1915 -1990) and Mrs. Grace Hokin (1920-2009), Highland Park, IL, acquired between 1964 and 1965 [according to conversation with Grace Hokin, June 27, 1990]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1972.

Cat. 14 Fragment of a Portrait Statue of a Man, 2nd century A.D.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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Dimensions

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.