Marble Portrait of a Bearded Man in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2007

Marble portrait of a man
Roman, Hadrianic or Early Antonine period, ca. 117-161 AD

Accession # 15.145

This striking young man wears the short beard that became popular in Rome during the early second century AD. The subtle contrast between his casually arranged hair and polished skin and the use of a drill to indicate the pupils of his eyes impart a liveliness that is typical of the best Antonine portraits.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.