Unknown Person at The Louvre, Paris

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The person depicted in this dignified portrait of a Roman nobleman is shrouded in mystery. Previously believed to be the consul Aulus Postumius Albinus, he is now considered an unknown figure. The naturalistic style of the sculpture reveals the dominant influence of Hellenism on Rome at that time. The age of the old man is skillfully rendered in this fine portrait. The artist uses his chisels with precision to depict the marks of age: sagging flesh, lips closing over a toothless mouth, wrinkled face, and folds of the neck. However, the expressive character of the face, with its sharp turn to the right and the mouth on the verge of speaking, breathes life into this figure, inspiring respect rather than pity. The numerous surviving replicas of this work have led some commentators to believe it is a portrait of a famous man. Comparison with coin heads has suggested Mark Antony or consul Aulus Postumius Albinus as possibilities. However, neither proposition is entirely satisfactory, and it's safer to leave the portrait anonymous. It's possible that it depicts a member of the Roman aristocracy, who enjoyed the privilege of having their portraits made and possessing effigies of their ancestors. The Roman portrait in the second century BC inherited the veristic tradition of ancient Italian art but acquired a Hellenistic coloring with Rome's conquests in the Mediterranean. As Rome gained control of the Hellenistic world, Greek works were brought back by victorious generals, and artists fled the conquered kingdoms for Rome, the new capital of the Mediterranean world. This phenomenon is evident in this portrait. The pitiless realism of the toothless mouth and sagging flesh is characteristic of republican period portraits and recalls the custom of making death masks out of wax. However, the movement of the head, mobility of the flesh, and expressiveness of the face owe much to the pathos of the Pergamon school. The artist has invested this ravaged face with a passion that links it to Hellenistic portraiture, endowing this mortal figure with the bearing of a monarch. This object is part of "Scan The World," a non-profit initiative by MyMiniFactory to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the globe. Scan the World is an open-source community effort; if you have interesting items and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can help. Scanned using photogrammetry (processed with Agisoft PhotoScan) at the Louvre.