Socrates
Catalogue Image
2015-00-00
Name/Title
SocratesEntry/Object ID
81G0130Description
A statuette of an older man with a beard wearing a himation. The head is turned slightly to the right and the left arm is bent. Legs missing below the himation line. Resin replica (on wooden base), with granular finish on skin; marble original. The original is a small-scale Roman copy of an earlier Greek portrait statue (c. 399 BCE).Type of Sculpture
StatuetteArtwork Details
Medium
ResinSubject
SocratesSubject Person
SocratesContext
This is not a faithful portrait of the great philosopher. The statuette, a small-scale Roman copy of an imagined Greek portrait, is eminently “psychological” with many hints to Socrates’ features about which the sculptor had probably heard only oral testimonies. It expresses adequately the idea we have of Socrates. If the subject of the statuette were not known, it would still be recognized as a psychological portrait. Socrates, a philosopher in Classical Athens, is hailed as one of the greatest Western philosophers in history despite having authored no texts. His philosophic work lives on through the second-hand accounts of his students, most notably through the extensive works of Plato where Socrates is the principal figure. After being accused of impiety and corrupting the youth, Socrates was executed in 399 BCE. His trial and execution were recounted in Plato’s dialogues Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo.Collection
Hellenistic GreeceMade/Created
Date made
200 BCE - 100 CETime Period
HellenisticEthnography
Cultural Region
Country
GreeceCulture/Tribe
Greek - Hellenistic