Head of deity on modern herma, so-called Anacreon
Roman Art
The current appearance of the work is the result of a modern restoration: the nose, the left part of the beard, the herma and the lower part of the neck are all integrations. The antique head depicts a male figure, whose expression and facial symmetry, as well as the hair and the beard, deprive the character of any physiognomic features. The low, triangular forehead accommodates protruding eyebrows that stand above large and well-defined eyes. A long, thick moustache hides the upper lip of the small, fleshy mouth, which is slightly open. The face is framed by long wavy locks characterised by a central parting, which are rendered in detail by means of deep incisions. The head is encircled by a wide hair band (tenia) tied at the nape of the neck, the ends of which fall over the shoulders. The thick beard is characterised by meticulously carved locks ending in curls, which give the face an elongated shape.
The very presence of the band and the rendering of the hair suggest that the prototype was a bronze sculpture from the late Classical period (around the middle or third quarter of the 5th century B.C.). Due to the luminous surfaces, the prominent appearance of the lacrimal duct, and the use of the chisel in the working of the hair, it seems plausible to date this portrait between the end of the 1st century B.C. and the 1st century A.D., also taking into account the dating attributed to the replica of Villa Albani.
Ever since the statue entered the collections of the Galleries, despite the presence of the inscription ANACREON on the right side of the modern herma, some doubts have been raised concerning the identification of this portrait with that of the Greek poet Anacreon.
The existence of seventeen other replicas of this work proves the fact that the Florentine head was probably the Roman copy of a Greek original that was obviously well-known. In addition, the emotionless expression and the central parting of the hair allow to suppose that the original represented a deity such as Zeus, Dionysus or Hermes. As a consequence, the work preserved in the Uffizi should have pertained to a series of bearded godheads on herma, which were produced from the Archaic period onwards. Among the numerous replicas, the one preserved in the Metropolitan Museum seems to be the closest to our portrait.
This herma, which was purchased by Lorenzo Vanni in 1770 together with the head of the so-called Sophocles (Inv. 1914 no. 384), was mentioned for the first time among the works preserved in the Hall of Inscriptions of the Uffizi.
M. Rodinò, Testa di divinità su erma moderna, cd. Anacreonte in Divina Simulacra. Capolavori di scultura classica della Galleria degli Uffizi, catalogo della mostra (Firenze, Gallerie degli Uffizi, 12 dicembre 2023 – 30 giugno 2024), a cura di F. Paolucci, pp. 72 – 73, Livorno, 2023, e bibliografia precedente