ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Intaglio with Bust of Warrior in Phrygian Cap
Place FoundIsrael, Asia
CultureGreek
PeriodHellenistic
Dateearly 1st Century BCE
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin
Dimensions7/16 x 3/8 x 1/8 in. (1.1 x 1 x 0.3 cm)
Object number2008.031.030
Label TextBust of a youthful warrior in three-quarter back profile, facing left. He wears a diadem under a Phrygian cap and a tunic embroidered with animals. The Phrygian cap is a common attribute of Perseus, and the motif is close to representations of the hero on coins of Pontus minted under king Mithridates VI Eupator (r. 120-63 BC). Perseus was claimed as ancestor and patron of the Mithridatic dynasty from at least the mid-second century BC, and it has been claimed that the coin images in fact show Mithridates in the guise of the hero to emphasize the association. Here, the inclusion of a diadem - a mark of kingship - implies this may be a royal portrait.
ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, possibly purchased from Barakat Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
1st-2nd Century CE
1st Century BCE
ca. 77-78 CE
1st Century BCE
early 20th-mid 20th Century
1st Century BCE
ca. 69-138 CE
