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portrait head
Object Type
portrait head
Museum number
1879,0712.6
Description
Marble head and neck of a goddess, her hair tied in an elaborate knot and bound by several bands, the one over the forehead being particularly broad. The nose if restored and the surface has been damaged and pitted, possibly by water action. Although sometimes identified as a portrait of Sappho, it is more likely an Aphrodite. It follows the type known as the Aphrodite Olympias group and the original has been attributed to the sculptor Pheidias.
Producer name
Manner/Style of:
Pheidias
(said to be after an oriignal by him)
Cultures/periods
Roman
(after a Greek original of about 440 - 430 BC)
Production date
1 - 120
Materials
marble
Dimensions
Height:
29.50 centimetres
Bibliographic references
Sculpture / Catalogue of Greek Sculpture in the British Museum
(1829)
Location
Not on display
Associated names
Representation of:
Sappho
(unlikely)
Representation of:
Aphrodite
Acquisition name
Purchased from:
Alessandro Castellani
Acquisition date
1879
Department
Greek and Roman
Registration number
1879,0712.6