On an Unusual Female Head from Italica (Santiponce, Seville)

Abstract

A previously unpublished female head, which decorated the residential area of the Hadrianic extension of Italica, was found in excavations carried out by A. Parladé in 1929/1930 in the proximity of the House of the Neptune Mosaic. Its most particular characteristic is that the upper part was formed by a separately worked segment of hair. This head is the first to be documented in Hispania made with this technique, in which a tenon is located in the back of the head. As it is an unusual technique, other examples in the Empire of similar characteristics are detailed in a list. Finally, a series of arguments are given to date the object in the second quarter of the 2nd century AD and include it in the group of ideal heads made during that time in Italica.

Keywords

• hispania
• roman portrait
• ideal sculpture
• assemblage
• hair segments