Head of a Man (Possibly Cicero)

The stern-faced man looking slightly off to his right with noble bearing strikes the viewer with his forthrightness and candor. The deep crow's feet, creased forehead, and sagging skin suggest a mature age, while his modest, short-cropped hair and the lack of ornamentation speak of a stoic conservatism. Above all, the representation establishes the sitter's moral authority. The distinctive mole at the corner of the left eye suggests that the subject is Cicero, the famous Roman orator, statesman, lawyer, and poet. According to the Roman historian Plutarch, Cicero's name derived from a description of the mole in Latin as cicer, or chickpea, a feature of the subject which became standard in Renaissance depictions. German Renaissance sculptor Conrat Meit carved the Head of a Man in emulation of busts from the Roman Republican period; this period favored a stark style with unmarked eyeballs and forward-combed hair. The starfish pattern on the back of the head is also typical of ancient busts. This kind of bust, which has been reset on a modern support, would have probably decorated the interior of a noble residence.