Head of a Barbarian or Giant

The curls of this large head are more unkempt, and its bulging brows more emotionally expressive, than those of the statue to the left, and the contrast is even stronger with the young athlete nearby. The pose of the body would have been more complex and extroverted, as is characteristic of sculptures of the Hellenistic period (323–30 BCE) and into Roman imperial times. The statue to which the head belonged most likely depicted an opponent of the Greeks or their gods, namely a barbarian or giant, and it might have formed part of a group. The monuments connected with Pergamon in Asia Minor and Sperlonga in Italy provide examples of such group compositions. To imaginatively complete the fragment, one should picture the eyes inlaid in glass and stone. Like most ancient sculptures, this statue would have been painted, and the lifelike eyes would have gazed out from a ruddy face.