The shape of the bust is typical of the period: its size is much larger than it was customary earlier. The arm stubs are also visible. It depicts a mature man. The short hair and trimmed beard evokes the military hairstyle of the commander-turned-rulers of the time, the so-called “barracks emperors”.
The modelling of the head is also characteristic of the period. The man turns away with a distant gaze, his tense features and puckered forehead conveying a sense of intense focus. His beard looks like puffs of feathers – this carving technique was also typical of the period.
Marble analyses conducted by Danielle Decrouez (Geneva, Museum of Natural History) and Karl Ramseyer (University of Bern, Institute of Geological Sciences) have shown that the bust was made of Göktepe marble. Click here for the detailed results.
