Unfinished Head of a Youth in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, June 2010

Head of a youth

Greek, East Greek, Archaic Period, about 510–480 B.C.

Dimensions: Height x width: 27 x 19 cm (10 5/8 x 7 1/2 in.)

Medium or Technique: Marble, probably from Ushak, Turkey

Classification: Sculpture

Catalogue Raisonné: Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 022.

Accession Number: 69.982

This round, oriental yet schematic face provides a sculptural revelation of the late Archaic to early Classical tradition as developed in the Greek areas on the edge of the rich, luxurious Persian empire.

The back of the head and the neck have been broken off at an angle from upper back forward to lower front. The right eyebrow, nose, lips, and chin have been damaged. The marble has acquired a yellow patina on top of the unfinished surfaces.

Scientific Analysis:

University of South Florida Lab No. 8400: Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.1 / delta18O -3.4,

Attribution - Ushak, Turkey . Justification - coarse grain, C and O isotopes, probably found in west-central Turkey in Ushak region

Text from: www.mfa.org/collections/object/head-of-a-youth-151025