SculptureGraeco-Roman1st century BCE-2nd century CE

Portrait of the Greek Orator Demosthenes

1st century BCE-2nd century CE

Description

This remarkable statuette is a small-scale copy of a lost life-size bronze statue that honored the Athenian orator and statesman Demosthenes. It illustrates a trend toward realism in Greek portraiture of the third century BCE and offers a posthumous psychological interpretation of the eloquent but ill-fated champion of Athenian liberty against Macedonian dominance.

Classification

Sculpture

Technique

Cast, lost-wax process

Medium

Leaded bronze

Culture

Graeco-Roman

Period

Roman Imperial period

Century

1st century BCE-2nd century CE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics

Dimensions

h. 23.2 cm x w. 8 cm x d. 7 cm (9 1/8 x 3 1/8 x 2 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Dr. Jacob Hirsch, Geneva, (by 1935), sold; to the Herbert N. Straus family, New York City, (by 1939). John W. Straus, (by 1997), gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2007.