Imaginary Portrait of the Blind Homer

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This bust represents one of many imaginative portraits of Homer, celebrated author of the Iliad and Odyssey, who flourished in the eighth century BCE. The poet's features are shrouded in mystery, but tradition portrays him as a blind elderly man. Crafted after a second-century Greek original influenced by Pergamene style, this face employs realistic techniques to depict an idealized portrait of the venerable bard inspired by divine beings. An imaginative representation [......] A touch of grandeur A Roman replica of a Greek original from the first half of the second century BCE, this bust has its roots in Pergamene art, characterized by the distinctively baroque features evident in the Pergamon Altar now housed in Berlin. In its original form, the portrait would have shown the poet standing full-length and seated. The image of old age portrayed here is one of great dignity, the restraint of the means used serving only to heighten this effect. The emotionally powerful treatment of the features, marked by age, underscores the physical decline of an elderly man. The fixed gaze and the hollow depths of the sockets betray the blindness of his eyes. The poet's hair and beard, meanwhile, are stirred by the breath of divine inspiration. An idealized image of the poet To the Hellenistic era, Homer was the quintessential poet, enjoying immense popular enthusiasm that elevated him to a cult status, and he was honored in the same manner as a god. Many portraits were created to adorn the scholarly libraries of Athens, Alexandria, and Pergamon. This example utilizes realistic techniques to offer a venerable, idealized image of the aged bard, inspired by divine beings and dwelling upon his inner vision. A bandeau or headband rests over his forehead, distinguishing him from ordinary mortals.