Marble portrait of the emperor Caracalla

A marble head of a man with short, tightly curled hair, a closely cropped beard and mustache, and a stern, intense stare. The carving is smooth on the face and rougher at the broken neck, which is set on a dark stand against a black backdrop.

Look closer: A small chip and a wear mark on the right cheek near the nose, and the broken neck with a rough break line at the base.

Artist

Unknown

Date

212–217 CE

Medium

Marble

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

2911 × 3880 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1940