Portrait Head of C. Cornelius Gallus (?)
Unknown Artist
c. 30 BCE
Medium
marble
Dimensions
39 × 22 × 22.6 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1966.20
About this artwork
This highly individual portrait must have been made for a man of considerable importance. It may represent Gaius Cornelius Gallus, who lived c. 69-26 BC. After aiding Octavian in the war against Antony and Cleopatra, Gallus served as the first governor of Egypt. There he put down two rebellions, but soon fell into disgrace and exile, eventually committing suicide. The head was made to be inserted into a body, and has a flat back and top, suggesting it once wore a separately made fold of toga dra...