Wreathed Head of a Bearded Male

Label

Two wreaths—one of laurel leaves, and another of ivy and berries—adorn the tightly coiled curls of this oversized sculpted head. Wreaths functioned as signs of honor, triumph, and devotion to gods and goddesses in the ancient Mediterranean, and their inclusion in this sculpture may relate to the statue’s original role as a votive figure. Figural votives like this one would be installed in temples as both an offering to the divine and a physical embodiment of the devotee in a sacred space. Rather than specific likenesses, votives were often standardized and available at different price points. The size of this sculpture would have made it a highly valuable offering.

Due to Cyprus’s pivotal location in the Mediterranean Sea, the island’s art is marked by a mix of cultural influences, from Egyptian and Persian to Phoenician and Greek. The stylized hair and beard of this sculpture show Assyrian inspiration, while the almond-shaped eyes and subtle smile evoke Archaic Greek sculptural conventions.

Like the Assyrian reliefs nearby, this sculpture would also have been brightly painted. Can you spot the traces of red, green, and blue that remain on the stone?

From the exhibition, Stone, Sand, and Clay: Connecting Cultures in the Ancient Mediterranean, curated by Ashley B. Offill, Curator of Collections

Course History

ARTH 1, Bodies and Buildings, Ada Cohen, Steven Kangas, Fall 2012

ARTH 21, Art in Ancient Greece: Temples, Gods, Heroes, Steven Kangas, Fall 2013

REL 1, Patterns of Religious Experience, Elizabeth Perez, Fall 2013

ANTH 7, Thinking About Empire, Alan Covey, Winter 2014

SART 16/SART 21/SART 73, Sculpture 1/2/3, Matt Siegle, Winter 2020

SART 27.01, Printmaking I, Tricia Treacy, Fall 2022

Classical Studies 21.01, Greek Archaeology and the Early Iron Age, Margaretha Kramer, Fall 2023

Classical Studies 6.01, Introduction to Classical Archaeology, Margaretha Kramer, Fall 2023

Classical Studies 6.01, Introduction to Classical Archaeology, Margaretha Kramer, Fall 2024

Classical Studies 6.02, Introduction to Classical Archaeology, Margaretha Kramer, Fall 2024

Classical Studies 22.01, Greek Archaeology: Classical, Margaretha Kramer, Winter 2025

History 10.02, Archival Research, Julia Rabig, Summer 2025

Anthropology 31.01, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 36.01, Gender in Cross Cultural Perspectives, Sabrina Billings, Fall 2025

Theater 15.01, Theatre & Society I, Samantha Lazar, Fall 2025

Exhibition History

Ancient Profiles: Sculpture, Prints, and Coins from the Permanent Collection, Harrington Gallery Teaching Exhibition, Art History 1, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 1-December 17, 1997.

Gene Y. Kim, Class of 1985 Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 13, 2000-February 7, 2005.

Gene Y. Kim, Class of 1985 Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 28, 1992-April 12, 1994.

Gene Y. Kim, Class of 1985, Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 19-November 30, 2008.

Glimpses of Ancient Life, Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art's Collection of Ancient Art, Gene Y. Kim, Class of 1985 Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 19, 2000.

Stone, Sand, and Clay: Connecting Cultures in the Ancient Mediterranean, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 7, 2025 - Ongoing

Publication History

"Cesnola's Legacy: An Example of the Greek Influence on Archaic Cypriot Sculpture", N.C. Museum of Art Bulletin. Diana Buitron-Oliver, Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2011.

Douglas F. Jordan, Dartmouth Class of 1947, Four Sculptured Cypriote Heads from the Hitchcock Collection in the Dartmouth College Museum, Dartmouth College Museum Annual Report, 1947-1948, p. 15-20.

Provenance

Collected by Luigi Palma di Cesnola, American Consul to Cyprus, 1865-1876; given to Hiram Hitchcock (1832-1900, Class of 1872H), Hanover, New Hampshire, about 1872; bequeathed to his second wife, Emily Howe Hitchcock (1852-1912), Hanover, New Hampshire, 1900; bequeathed to present collection, 1912.

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Subjects