Head of Hypnos
Catalogue Image
2015-00-00
Name/Title
Head of HypnosEntry/Object ID
80G0129Description
Head with one wing protruding from right side; left wing missing. Resin replica with oxidized bronze finish; bronze original.Type of Sculpture
HeadArtwork Details
Medium
ResinSubject
HypnosContext
Hypnos is the Greek god of sleep, son of Nyx (goddess of the night) and brother of Thanatos (god of death). He is most often viewed as a winged youth, and his Roman counterpart is Somnus. There is only one wing left on this bronze head and the face retains an air of melancholy despite the absence of its once coloured eyes, which all bronze statues had. This head is a Roman copy of a Greek original likely used in a shrine dedicated to Hypnos. The original is often attributed to Scopas, a prominent Greek sculptor and architect of the late classical period. This attribution is predominately based on the existence of a mostly intact monumental sculpture of Hypnos by Scopas; the statue is currently at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid and bears very close resemblance to the bronze head. The head is also rather square, one of Scopas’ trademarks (see also: Head of Hygieia; Psyche of Capua). However, it is worth noting that some attribute that statue to Praxiteles or his school rather than to Scopas, so the identity of the true creator of the sculpture and the bronze head remains unclear. Statues of Hypnos and his brother Thanatos are sometimes misidentified as being the other due to similar attributes, including their wings, and their marked association with each other in myth . This piece has been concluded to represent Hypnos because of its similar appearance to the statue in Madrid.Collection
Classical GreeceMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
ScopasRole
SculptorDate made
350 BCE - 200 BCETime Period
ClassicalEthnography
Cultural Region
Country
Greece, ItalyCity
RomeCulture/Tribe
Greek - Classical