3-037-223 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of a Bearded Man, A.D. 200-225. Additional Info: Broken from a statue or bust, this portrait head of a mature bearded man probably depicts a wealthy private individual. Several stylistic features of the portrait suggest that it may have been sculpted during the reign of the emperor Caracalla, who ruled from A.D. 211 to 217. The contrast of the smoothly polished skin with the beard and hair, which are deeply drilled creating a pattern of light and shadow, is characteristic of sculpture carved during the Severan dynasty.