On view
Ancient Mediterranean Art
Colossal bust of a goddess or personification,
ca. 160–190 CE
Roman
Antonine Period, 138–193 CE
2004-38
The colossal scale and the cursory carving on the back of the head suggest that this imposing bust was once part of a larger statue that stood in a niche. It likely depicts a goddess such as Aphrodite or Artemis, who are often shown with their hair parted in the center and pulled loosely up. The overall carving style and idealized oval face, with its dimpled chin and drilled eyes, suggest the work dates to the second half of the second century CE. The contrast between the angular brows and the softly modeled face is characteristic of sculptures from Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Human viewers would have had to look up at this colossal goddess as she gazed over and beyond them.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Colossal bust of a goddess or personification
Dates
ca. 160–190 CE
Medium
White marble with grey veining
Dimensions
preserved: 86.2 × 40.6 × 26.8 cm (33 15/16 × 16 × 10 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund, in acknowledgment of the dedicated service, to the Advisory Council of the Princeton University Art Museum, of Kathleen Compton Sherrerd, Barry Munitz, Graduate School Class of 1968, Duane E. Wilder, Class of 1951, and Stuart P. Feld, Class of 1957
Object Number
2004-38
Period
Type
Materials
Acquired by the De Chambrier family at the end of the 19th century; ex collection Baron Dominique de Chambrier, Neuchatel, Switzerland; purchased by the Museum from Phoenix Ancient Art, New York, in 2004.
- "Acquisitions of the Princeton University Art Museum 2004," Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 64 (2005): p. 91-135., p. 98, p. 99 (illus.)
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007), p. 288 (illus.)
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), p. 340
