Portrait Bust (‘Man from Delos’)

Artisan: Town Square Miniatures
Date: Unknown
Dimensions: 45 x 30 x 25 mm. / 1 ¾ x 1 ⅛ x 1 inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2022.008
Intended Room: Library
Category: Antiquities

This bust is based – somewhat loosely, I must admit – on the head of a man dating from around 100BC, which was found on the island of Delos in 1912 and now in the collection of The National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The original sculpture, which is a rare piece of surviving Greek bronze, is spectacular on account of its inlaid stone and glass eyes. None of that in the replica, of course, but it captures the man’s solidity and almost pugnacious presence. Perhaps he was a boxer: the original head was found in the precinct of the palestra or sports ground on Delos. Despite that potentially sporty background, however, our man is destined to a more bookish future, as he takes his place alongside his companions in the Library.