Skip Navigation

Head of a Roman Nobleman, Possibly Marc Antony

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
This head, which was made for insertion into a bust carved in another stone, represents a high-ranking Roman official. Some scholars have suggested that the subject is Cleopatra’s lover Marc Antony, but that identification is uncertain.

However, the fine-grained green Egyptian stone, which was popular with the Romans, and the naturalistic style, which reflects classical Greek statuary, indicate that the man represented here was at least a contemporary of the Egyptian queen and her Roman lover.
CULTURE Ptolemaic
MEDIUM Graywacke
  • Reportedly From: Alexandria, Egypt
  • DATES ca. 30 B.C.E.– 50 C.E.
    PERIOD Late Ptolemaic to early Roman Period
    DIMENSIONS 9 x 4 1/4 x 5 in. (22.9 x 10.8 x 12.7 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 54.51
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not documented; 1893, reportedly found in Alexandria, Egypt; between 1893 and 1910, provenance not yet documented; by 1910, acquired by Dr. Joseph Eddé of Alexandria; circa 1910, purchased from Dr. Joseph Eddé by Dr. Jacob Hirsch of Munich, Germany, Paris, France, New York, NY, and Switzerland; 1954, purchased from Dr. Jacob Hirsch by the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Ptolemaic. Head of a Roman Nobleman, Possibly Marc Antony, ca. 30 B.C.E.– 50 C.E. Graywacke, 9 x 4 1/4 x 5 in. (22.9 x 10.8 x 12.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 54.51. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 54.51_SL1.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 54.51_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.