Head of a Philosopher

The Head of a Philosopher

The Head of a Philosopher is a fragment of a bronze sculpture, discovered in 1969 on a shipwreck in the Straits of Messina.^[1] The wreck dates to the end of the fifth century.^[2] The date of the Porticello bronze head is uncertain: Alain Pasquier dates it to c.460–440 BC,^[3] but suggests the late fourth or early third century.^[4] In order to reconcile this later date with the late-fifth century context of the shipwreck, it has been suggested that there were in fact two wrecks, one earlier and one later.^[4] rejects this suggestion, noting that other bronze fragments found in the wreck, which apparently derive from the same original sculpture, are stylistically closer to the mid-fifth century BC.^[5]

It is part-damaged, lacking its laurel wreath, left eye and the hair on the back of its head, while the mangled fragments of a hand and a cloak were found with it, which has led to the head's identification as a philosopher. It is now held at the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in Reggio.

References[]

^ Lawall 1998, p. 16.
^ Ridgway 2010, n.5.
^ Ridgway 2010, p. 339.
^ ^a ^b Ridgway 2010, p. 336.
^ Ridgway 2010, pp. 336–337.

Works cited[]

Lawall, Mark L. (1998). "Bolsals, Mendean Amphoras, and the Date of the Porticello Shipwreck". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 27: 16–23. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1998.tb00787.x.
Ridgway, Brunhilde S. (2010). "The Porticello Bronzes Once Again". American Journal of Archaeology. 114 (2): 331–342. doi:10.3764/aja.114.2.331.

Head of a Philosopher

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