Head of an Old Man in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Head of an Old Man
Roman, 25 BC- 10 AD
Marble

Inventory # 96.AA.39

A sense of old age is conveyed by the furrowed brow, the bags under the eyes, and the sagging, wrinkled cheeks. Such sober portraits were intended to embody qualities valued at all levels of Roman society, such as gravitas (dedication to civic duty), and virtus (excellence of character). The Roman emphasis on realism was a departure from the idealized depictions of the Greeks.

Text from the Getty Villa museum label.