Head of Apollo

Head of Apollo, represented as a youthful male with feminine features. His face is narrow at the jawline, his eyes almond shaped, his brow delicate and the mouth with thick lips which hint a slight smile. His hair is long and characterised by a thick ring of locks around the face, swept in a topknot. Loose ringlets fall onto the shoulders and the nape of the neck. Similar topknots can be found in the heads of Apollo in the British Museum and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. The head is tilted forward suggesting aloofness. The prestine condition of the head and the pretty treatment of the face raise suspicions as to whether the work is ancient. A similar head is at the Vatican Museum and together with 59.148.108 and they may both be ancient pieces or one a copy inspired by the other.