Sculpture

This small-sized sculpture is part of a series of nine miniature busts of famous ancient figures. It depicts an old man with his head turned three-quarters to the right and slightly upward. The face is slender, with prominent cheekbones, sunken cheeks, and a high-bridged nose. The medium-length, messy hair covers the ears, falls onto the neck and forehead, and rests on the prominent eyebrow arches. The lips are parted. The upper lip is obscured by a moustache that merges with the short facial hair. Deep nasolabial folds are visible above the moustache. The face conveys emotion. The base, likely bearing an identifying inscription, has not survived. According to entries in the Inventory Books, this is a bust of Seneca. However, the discovery in 1813 of a signed bust of Seneca with a different appearance disproves this theory. According to G.M.A. Richter, it may instead depict the Greek poet Hesiod. Currently, it is also speculated that it could be a representation of the Greek comic playwright Aristophanes (446–338 BCE) (Museo Nazionale Napoli, 1989, p. 128, item 165).

Anna Szczęsny