DiscussionBust of Eutropius. From Ephesus. Second half of fifth century. DESCRIPTION (Object)Under life-size head of a bust. H: 29,5 cm. Medium-grained white marble. Broken at the lower edge of the neck, beginning of the bust with garment on the left side is preserved. Underneath the right ear the part with beard and neck is missing. Tip of the nose with the left ala of the nose are chipped off. Minor chips on the rims of the ears. Pupil halfmoon shaped. Inner corners of the eyes with drill holes. Flesh parts finished with fine rasp, baerd chiseled. On the top of the head two dowel-holes, one filled with iron. Top and back of the head smoothed with tooth chisel, hair above the forehead and around the ears sometimes use of drill. Back of the bust slightly hollowed. PROVENANCE Marble Street, east side, found bevor 1906. Found near to an inscribed console, which honours Eutropius LSA-611. DESCRIPTION (Subject) Portrait head of a mature man, part of a bust. Because of the underlife-size the head seems very fragile. Long square and thin face, two horizontal grooves and the high arched eyebrows dominate the forehaed. Long thin nose with deep naso-labial folds. The cheeks are sunken. Small mouth, upper lip covered by the moustache, outer corners of the mouth are going down. Dominant chin part with short beard, but with long slightly curved hairs. Hair from top of the head brushes forward, puffs up around the forehead and above the ears in sickle-curls. At the back the hair follows the indentation at the base of the skull and then increases in volume at the nape. DATE The head gave the name for a whole group of portraits. The heads are linked together because of stylistic, formal and technical reasons. The centre of the production could be Ephesus (nearly every head was found there, except a bust near Izmir LSA-1084 and one head from the Agora in Izmir LSA-320). There are only stylistical grounds in comparision with other heads (e.g. the head of the emperor from Barletta LSA-441) and some diptycha to date all the heads from the group in the fifth century. The most scholars date the group in the mid or in the second half of the fifth century. Only Heintze dates the group earlier in the first half of the fifth century. Because of the presence of the toga at the Balcova-bust maybe the date of the group could be earlier at the end of the fourth century (LSA-1084) . Main ReferenceInan, J. and E. Rosenbaum, Roman and Early Byzantine Portrait Sculpture in Asia Minor, Oxford 1966, 151-153, no. 194, pl. 181.1-2Discussion ReferencesAuinger, J. 'Eine spätantike Togabüste aus Balçova', Jahreshefte des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts in Wien 72, Vienna 2003, 20-23 Ensoli, S. and E. La Rocca (eds.), Aurea Roma: dalla città pagana alla città cristiana, Roma 2000, 647, no. 355 (second half of fifth century) L'Orange, H. P., Studien zur Geschichte des spätantiken Porträts, Oslo 1933, 84, 146-7, no. 115, figs. 216-18 Meischner, J., 'Das Porträt der theodosianischen Epoche II (400 bis 460 n. Chr.),' , Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, 106 (1991), 385-407, pl. 86.1 Oberleitner, W. 'Beiträge zur Geschichte der spätantiken Porträtplastik aus Ephesos', Jahreshefte des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts in Wien 47, Vienna (1964-65), 16-27, no.2, fig. 9-10 Smith, R.R.R. 'Late antique portraits in a public context: Honorific statuary at Aphrodisias in Caria, AD 300-600' , Journal of Roman Studies, 89 (1999), 155-89, pl. 6.1 Stutzinger, D. (ed.), Spätantike und frühes Christentum. Ausstellung im Liebieghaus, Museum alter Plastik, Frankfurt am Main. 16. Dezember bis 11. März 1984, Frankfurt a.M. (1983), no. 70 Weitzmann, K. (ed.), Age of spirituality : late antique and early Christian art, third to seventh century : catalogue of the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 19, 1977, through February 12, 1978, New York 1979, no. 55 |
Last Statues of Antiquity
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