Head of a Man

Object Details

• Description

  Head of a bearded male, of transluscent alabaster. Highly modelled, probably meant to be viewed only from the front. The facial features rendered in some detail. The eyes are modelled, with no pupil or eyebrows represented. The ears protrude perpendicular to the head, with some interior detail is incised into the ears for schematic rendering. The nose is straight, with nostrils indicated, and the mouth is represented by a thin grooved incision between the two modelled lips. The beard, which stretches from ear to ear, is represented as a semicircular ledge below the chin. The front edge of the beard is smoothed, but the bottom edge is not. The entire face rests in a smooth background field of the same stone.

  The sculpture is in good condition, with some minor scratches on the otherwise smooth and polished front surface. The tip of the nose is broken, and the back surface is unfinished, with several heavy chisel marks. The top of the head, and the side and bottom edges of the fragment bear signs of heavy alteration and/or chiselling.

• Provenance

  1965

  Sale, Sotheby and Co., London. [1]

  From 1965 to 1966

  Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981), purchased from Sotheby and Co., London in 1965. [2]

  From 1966 to 1986

  Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. [3]

  From 1986

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, transferred from Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See document from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, object file, Collections Management Office.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See note 1.

  [4] See note 1. See also object file, Collections Management Office.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981)

  Sotheby's (London)

  Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

• Origin

  Yemen

• Credit Line

  Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s, 100s

• Name

  Sotheby's (London), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Hirshhorn, Joseph H.

• Topic

  Art, Ancient Near Eastern Art, Men, Stone, Yemen

• Culture

  Middle Easterners

• Object Type

  Sculpture