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© Bruce M. White, 2004.
ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Manner of (Greek, active 460 - 415 BCE)

Head of the Diadoumenos

CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Datemid 2nd Century CE
MediumMarble (Paros 2 or Aphrodisias)
Credit LineCarlos Collection of Ancient Art
Dimensions12 3/16 x 8 7/16 in. (30.9 x 21.4 cm)
Object number1991.003
Label TextThis youthful, male head belongs to a marble statue of a nude athlete shown tying a ribbon (diadem) around his forehead. When complete, it copied a famous Greek bronze by the 5th-century BC sculptor, Polykleitos of Argos, now known as the Diadoumenos (Ribbon-Binder).

The original Greek statue commemorated an athlete’s victory in the games (marked by the ribbon), and would either have stood in the sanctuary where the competition took place or in the athlete’s hometown as both a permanent record of his success and an offering of thanks to the god who granted it. Rather than a realistic portrait, it embodied ideals of masculine beauty, balance, and control as expressions of moral goodness. The Roman version to which this head belonged may have been displayed in a private home or public space like a gymnasium or bathhouse, where it demonstrated knowledge of Greek art and perhaps provided a model body to emulate.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11,1993 - March 1996
Nike: Victory and Competition at the Ancient Greek Festival Games, Michael C. Carlos Museum, March 30 - August 18, 1996
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, August 1996 - May 2004
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - August 26, 2013
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, September 25, 2013 - Present
Published References"Emory Acquires a Worthy Symbol for the Olympics," The Atlanta Journal Constitution (July 17, 1991): C6.
Michael C. Carlos Museum Handbook (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 1996), 60.
MCCM Newsletter, March - May 2002.
Jasper Gaunt, "New Galleries of Greek & Roman Art at Emory University: The Michael C. Carlos Museum," Minerva 16 (2005): 13-17.
Michael C. Carlos Museum: Highlights of the Collections (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2011), 57.
ProvenanceSaid to be ex private collection, Germany, from before 1939. Purchased by Emory University Museum of Art and Archaeology from Ingrid (1939-2018) and Bruce McAlpine [McAlpine Ancient Art Ltd.], London, England.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Greek and Roman Art