Head of a Praetorian Guard

This fragment, standing 33 cm high, is one of the oldest pieces in the Medici collection, to which it already belonged in the mid-16th century. It shows the head of a Praetorian Guard carved in profile, sporting an elegant parade helmet originally adorned with metal studs, the holes for which are still visible. The fragment was once the corner of a large continuous frieze as we can tell from the old cut in the marble on the right, and probably came from a celebratory monument depicting an official ceremony as the laurel wreath adorning the Praetorian’s helmet would appear to suggest. The modelling and the carving of the pupil point to a date in the middle years of the Antonine era.

3D model in collaboration with Indiana University. Visit: https://www.digitalsculpture-uffizi.org/