Statuette of a Black African Person
Unknown Artist
100–50 BCE
Medium
bronze, solid cast, with silver and copper inlays
Dimensions
18.4 × 5.3 × 7.2 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
1963.507
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Characterized as a Black African person by his hair, facial features, and unusually dark patina, this figure wears a non-Greek type of hat and a simple garment associated with lower classes. His stooped posture suggests that he may have a physical disability, something rarely depicted in Greek art. His right foot and right hand (with bowl) are modern restorations done before the statuette came to Cleveland, perhaps in the 1800s.