MARBLE ROMAN BUST 2

Marble sculpture inspired by the characteristic portrait busts of the Roman Empire. In the portrait is where Rome makes its most characteristic contribution to the tradition founded by the Greeks, a contribution that has matured much earlier than in other types of sculpture and that caused the development of sculpture in Rome to be divided into two fields, with different patterns of evolution, the portrait and the other types. Since the time of the Republic, portraiture was highly valued and over time it oscillated cyclically between an idealizing classicist tendency and another of great realism, derived in part from the typical expressiveness of Hellenistic art. And among the portraits, the bust and the head were the most frequent shapes. Full-length portraits were less common, although not rare. The preference for the bust and the head is a typical Roman cultural trait that created a huge market throughout the Mediterranean basin, and is explained first, by economic reasons, being much cheaper than a complete statue, but also by the conviction of a best individual identification that prevailed among them. For the Romans, it was the head, and not the body or the costumes or accessories, that were the center of interest in the portrait.

· Size: 56X20X73 cms