Bust of an Athlete

Bust of a virile athlete, the head slightly turned to the right with the eyes almost looking down, thick lips and eyes which have well defined eye lids. The hair is short and wavy in shallow curls. The head had little restoration mainly on two thirds of the nose and part of the right ear. The bust may have been part of the same statue but if ancient it was properly smoothed down and recut. The head may be one of the Roman copies of Greek works and modelled after the Riccardi bust in Florence. There is a certain type of naturalism in the portrait and the particular type has been described as a wrestler, an image that would be appropriate for a bath or gymnasium.