Relief of a youth

The thin, tender shape of a youth’s face has been formed from the middle of the round circular sheet by beating out the design from the reverse (repoussé). Clearly outlined, the contours of the head stand out against the cascades of hair that frame the face. On the forehead (now damaged) are the ends of two rows of overlapping locks. The gentle transition between the facial features, particularly between the upper lids and the eyebrows lend the face its tender expression. The high forehead, the varied high relief of the bundles of hair and the large chiselled outline of the eye hollows underscore the image of youthfulness. The relief of the left half of the face is slightly more raised than the clearly flatter right half, which creates the impression that the figure is moving his head slightly to the right. The eyes were originally inserted, executed in a different material, probably bone. The relatively short locks of hair on the sides are a sign that we are looking at the face of a young male. Judging by the hairstyle and shape of the face, this work can be dated to the mid-7th century BCE, an age when the earliest large plastic works were created in Greek art. One work dating from the same period, a small hollow-cast bronze head now in the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe, bears a strong similarity to the Berlin relief in terms of the formation of the face. It is considered by many scholars to be the work of a Samian master. Good indications of this are the excellent quality of the hollow casting, which at this early date strongly suggests the work was the product of a Samian workshop, especially as the first hollow casts are most likely to have evolved in Samos. The Berlin plate probably also originates from Samos, not just because of the likeness in style between the two heads, but also because of the evident complexity and masterful control of technique in which the face and hair have been rendered. The plate was acquired in 1876. It was supposed by the art dealer at the time that it originated from Olympia. However, a recent chemical examination of earth remains still attached to the reverse have ruled out Olympia as an origin for the find.
The plate’s original use remains unclear. Mounting points could not be found along its rim. The plate was once secured onto a backing through the use of a small rivet that can still be seen beneath the chin and a small rivet hole in the hairs. The fact that the face is positioned exactly in the centre of the plate and was hammered out to exactly the same distance from the edges suggests it was meant to be hung in a building, perhaps as decoration or as a metope. The large open hole beneath the chin was deliberately struck from the verso using a sharp implement. Such piercings can be found in the Heraion of Samos in nearly all objects made of bronze sheet. Their purpose was to put sacred but no longer desirable pieces out of use while at the same time making any further use in the profane realm impossible.