Marble Head of Aphrodite ("The Bartlett Head"). 330–300 BCE.
Carved from the finest Parian marble and designed to be viewed fully in the round, the "Bartlett Head" is a celebrated Late Classical masterpiece that embodies the revolutionary style of the Athenian sculptor Praxiteles, who was the first to master the soft, "smoky" sfumato textures and polished skin tones unique to marble.
The head’s intricate hairstyle and bowlike topknot directly echo the iconographic influence of the Aphrodite of Knidos, the most famous nude statue of antiquity. Originally intended for insertion into a full-length body, the head remains one of the most significant works of Classical art in the United States, showcasing the delicate features and tilting axes that define the refined, sultry aesthetic of the mid-4th century BCE.
Exhibited at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Boston, USA.