PORTRAIT OF OLD MAN
Roman Culture
PORTRAIT OF OLD MAN
Marble.
Height: 36 cm. Average width: 16. Depth: 21 cm.
Roman period. Early Augustan period.
Origin
Mesas de Asta. Jerez de la Frontera. Cádiz
Description
This piece is one of the rare examples illustrating early Roman portraiture in Hispania. It depicts an old man looking into the distance and spreading his thin lips into a smile. Time has left a deep imprint on his face: crow's feet, wrinkles and creases, which are also present behind the ears and on the neck. Short, thinning hair of which only the ends are represented, and a receding hairline visible on the forehead. It follows the Republican realist tradition, although it is ascribed to an educated artistic trend, linking the work to urban Roman portraiture. It was discovered in the ancient city of Hasta Regia, situated 11 km to the north west of Jerez. This is one of the most notable settlements in the region since the Tartessian period.
Bibliography
- Esteve Guerrero, M. (1941): “Contribución al conocimiento de Asta Regia”. Atlantis. T. XVI, p.396.
- León Alonso, P. (2001): Retratos romanos de la Bética. Fundación El Monte. Sevilla, pp. 60-63.
