Head of Serapis. Roman. Century I - III A.D.

Head of Serapis. Roman. Century I - III A.D.
Alabaster.
Provenance: Private collection, France.
Good state of preservation.
Measurements: 12 cm high; 21 cm high with stand.

Serapis is a syncretic divinity created in Ptolemaic Egypt and later adopted by the Roman world. He combined attributes of Greek and Egyptian gods, especially Zeus and Osiris, embodying concepts of fertility, power and life after death. Its cult spread widely throughout the Mediterranean during the imperial era.

The piece shows an idealized male face, with abundant wavy hair and bushy beard, following models of Hellenistic tradition. The symmetry of the features reinforces the divine nature of the representation, while the treatment of the hair and beard, worked in soft volumes, shows a careful execution within a reduced format.

The use of alabaster, a translucent material with a warm tone, brings a particular aesthetic quality to the sculpture, softening the forms and enhancing the luminosity of the whole.

Overall, it is an interesting testimony of the spread of Eastern cults in the Roman sphere, as well as the survival of Hellenistic sculptural models in the representation of divinities during Antiquity.