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Headless herma of Solon with non-original portrait of Sophocles, Lateran type

Roman Art

Date
Middle of the 2nd century A.D.
Collection
Sculpture
Location
Storage Rooms
Technique
Pentelic marble
Size
h. 75 cm; head height 32 cm
Inventory
1914 no. 377

The sculpture consists of an antique head mounted on a headless herma bearing an inscription with the name of Solon, which is also ancient but not original. Its presence in the Gallery dates back to 1753. The nose, part of the neck, and some portions of the beard were integrated in modern times.

The face portrays a bearded figure with the forehead marked by a few wrinkles. The iris of the large eyes is not engraved, but they are surrounded by a pronounced lacrimal duct. In addition, due to the deep cavity above the upper eyelid, they appear sunken in and take on a severe and mature look, which is emphasised by the “crow's feet”, whose lines are the final part of the almost metallic profile of the brow ridge. The hair is rendered by means of short, thin locks, pointing forward. In particular, the locks on the forehead are well combed into waves, and at the tips they were made with a deeper relief to give volume. On the other hand, at the temples, the hair appears messier and wavy, merging with the beard near the ears. While on the front side the use of the drill is clearly evident both in the hair and the beard, on the back side the locks are rendered with less relief and details. A thin ribbon (tainia) encircles the head of the character. The beard, which is curly and thick, is bipartite on the chin. The moustache and tufts of hair immediately below the lower lip are short and less prominent. The small mouth is barely open.

On the upper part of the body, there is a band of fabric that originates near the left shoulder (with respect to the observer) and runs up to the right shoulder, where it falls onto the chest to cover the side of the character's neck. The fabric appears extremely stiff and lacking in volume; it is possible to perceive that it is folded in itself only when looking at the final part. On the sides of the body, at the shoulders, there are two rectangular holes, of which the one on the left has a lacuna at the top.

The front side of the body bears an inscription in Greek with the name of Solon accompanied by the definition “the legislator”. If we accept the authenticity of the inscription, due to the regularity of the characters, it is possible to date the body of the herma to the end of the 1st century A.D. The clear evidence of the use of the drill in rendering the beard, as well as the presence of some “bridges” in the hair, allow to date the portrait to the Antonine Age (2nd century A.D.).

For what concerns the identification of the protagonist, there has been disagreement among critics: some think that the body is original, therefore they believe it is Solon, others noted the discrepancy between the two parts of the herma and were able to recognise - rightly - the tragedian Sophocles. In particular, the features of the face and the style of beard and hair allow to relate the Florentine portrait of Sophocles to the Lateran type, which was discovered thanks to a replica from Terracina, whose original aspect is known thanks to a cast made before its invasive restorations. In turn, the model of the Terracina statue was a sculpture made by Lycurgus in honour of Sophocles, which was erected in the theatre of Dionysus in Athens (Plutarch Vit. Dec. 841f).

Bibliography

C.Gasparri, Il Sofocle lateranense: nuove considerazioni su un’officina di scultori di età medioimperiale, p. 139 nota 1, in “Atti della Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia. Rendiconti”, 78, pp. 139 – 181, 2005 – 2006; A. M. Nardon, 14. Erma acefala di Solone con ritratto non pertinente di Sofocle, tipo Lateranense 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. 78 – 79, Livorno, 2023, e bibliografia precedente

Text by
Ambra Famiglietti
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