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Head of Eros
Head of a young boy depicted with lidded almond-shaped eyes, small nose, and rounded chin, his small, full mouth slightly open. His curly locks either side of the face are falling onto his forehead.
Roman
Late Hellenistic Period/Early Roman Imperial , circa 1st century BC/1st century AD
Alabaster
Height 15.2 cm ( 6 in )
Private collection Massachusetts, acquired in Rome in the 1950’s; Sotheby’s NY 5 June 2008 Lot 21; with Phoenix Ancient Art Geneva, 2008 (cat. no. 1, no. 17); private collection F.A. Paris, France; acquired from the above
P. Moreno: I marmi antichi della Galleria Borghese, Rome 2003, pp. 229f n° 216
Bust of a young boy, Galleria Borghese CCLX
Little boy with a bird, Galleria Borghese CXV
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The cherubic child depicted with lidded almond-shaped eyes, small nose, and rounded chin, his small, full mouth slightly open, his hair arranged into a central plait running up to his crown, with luxuriant locks either side curling at the tips and falling onto his forehead, held in place by a fillet.
The child wears a band in his hair, which may represent a ribbon or, perhaps, a metallic diadem. If the latter is correct, this could indicate that the head is in fact a portrait of a noble child, as the diadem in Hellenistic art was utilised as a signifier of those belonging to a princely family.
