Skip to Content
Today Open today 10–11 members | 11–8 public

Portrait Head of a Philosopher

A work made of marble.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of marble.

Date:

Second half of the 2nd century

Artist:

Roman

About this artwork

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.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Portrait Head of a Philosopher

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.

150 CE–200 CE

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

33 × 19.1 × 22.9 cm (13 × 7 1/2 × 9 in.)

Credit Line

A. A. Sprague Fund

Reference Number

1923.49

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/7749/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share