Head of a Victorious Athlete

Reproduction patinated by hand. Mold made from an imprint of the original work exhibited at the Louvre.

The head was set on a bronze or marble pillar and the eyes had glass inlays, while red copper underlined the lips and the brows. The custom of erecting a statue to commemorate the memory of a victorious athlete maintained a long tradition in the Greek world even after the Roman conquest.

The Benevent Head bears the proportions of a facial type set during the 5th century, but following the serious expression of victory a sort of clumsiness with an air of calm meditation indicates a later date of production. This piece probably belongs to the Roman period; the somewhat affected work of the chisel and the elegance under the headband have the kind of perfection encountered in works from the Greek Renaissance, under the reign of Augustus.
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