The Italian sculptor succeeded not only in reproducing the ethnic characteristics of the sitter but also in creating an excellent portrait with a very individual face. Late second century A. D.
68 The following two portraits both show carefully depicted ethnic characteristics of their African sitters, although perhaps only one is a true portrait. The African man’s curly hair, sparse and short beard, raised cheekbones, and peculiarly shaped nose clearly point to a North African origin. These features do not, however, suggest the true character of the man. The success of this portrait is based upon the artist’s ability to catch the eloquent expression of his slightly scornful lips, the natural curiosity in his eyes, the slightly mannered self-defensiveness, and the perhaps somewhat histrionic presentation. Was the man a successful actor? He uses his face to project not only his personality but also his reaction to the environment in a way that brings to mind the accomplished art which Redd Fox brings to the modern public.
69 The other African is a Negro boy, one of the most attractive heads in the Getty Museum. It is of excellent artistic quality, and we must ask how much it is truly a portrait. One is tempted to say that it is much more the image of a young, lively boy without a definite personality, a genre piece, than of a specific individual. The sitter, if there really was one, is very little engaged. A parallel from later times are the fresh, smart boys from the streets of Seville as painted by Murillo, very moving but surely not portraits. The technique, especially the rendering of the hair, corresponds to the mid-Antonine period.
The very fresh and attractive image is more a genre than really individual portrait image. Late second century A. D.
World History
