Légende

Head of Menelaus from the Menelaus Carrying the Body of Patroclus group, Head of a bearded man wearing a helmet, with an expressive face shown by wide-open eyes and a parted mouth, emphasized by chiaroscuro effects from the contrast between the artistically designed lush locks of beard and hair emerging from under the helmet and the smooth skin of the face — the face of a man experiencing dramatic moments. The helmet is adorned with relief decoration depicting fantastic creatures: on each side a centaur fighting a Greek, and below on the edge a triton figurine. The sculpture is a Roman copy of the head from a Hellenistic bronze composition depicting Menelaus with the body of Patroclus. Menelaus, Helen's husband, is the first to fight to retrieve the deceased's body and then carries it from the battlefield so it can be buried according to ritual. The death of Patroclus, Achilles' friend, is an important moment in the Trojan War, bringing Achilles back into the fight and significantly influencing the outcome. Frequently reproduced in Roman sculpture. Dated broadly to 117–138 AD Hadrian; broader dating: 1st half of the 2nd century AD, Roman Empire, sculpture; weight 78.5 kg., A carved stone bust shown from the back with sculpted hair or decorative elements forming flowing, curved shapes and draped forms, mounted on a rounded stone pedestal; the surface shows a weathered, pitted texture with chips and rough areas. The visible colors include shades of gray, off-white, and beige, with some darker gray speckles and lighter highlights.

Crédit

Photo12/Liszt Collection

Notre référence

LZT26A18_472

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

69.8Mo (3.1Mo) / 34.4cm x 50.8cm / 4067 x 6000 (300dpi)

Mots clés

Head Menelaus Menelaus Carrying Body Patroclus group bearded man wearing helmet expressive face shown wide-open eyes parted mouth emphasized chiaroscuro effects contrast artistically designed lush locks beard hair emerging under smooth skin face man experiencing dramatic moments adorned relief decoration depicting fantastic creatures side centaur fighting Greek edge triton figurine sculpture Roman copy head Hellenistic bronze composition body Patroclus Helen's husband first fight retrieve deceased's body carries battlefield buried according ritual death Achilles friend important moment Trojan War bringing Achilles back significantly influencing outcome Frequently reproduced Roman sculpture Dated broadly 117–138 AD Hadrian broader dating 1st half 2nd century AD Roman Empire weight 78.5 kg carved stone bust shown back sculpted hair decorative elements forming flowing curved shapes draped forms mounted rounded stone pedestal surface weathered pitted texture chips rough areas visible colors include shades gray off-white beige darker gray speckles lighter highlights.