Late Antique Head of a Man in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Head of a Man
Roman, made in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), about AD 450
Marble

Inventory # 83.AA.45

The elongated face, caplike hair, and exaggerated staring eyes are all characteristic of portraits from the Late Antique period (AD 312- 565). Folds of clothing visible on the back indicate that the head once belonged to a full-length statue that probably honored an official.

Text from the Getty Villa museum label.