Bust of a Man

This marble bust shows a man with closely cropped hair, wearing a tunic. He is alert and lively, turning and smiling as if he is about to speak. It is a realistic portrait with a strong sense of individuality rather than the more common seventeenth-century busts of Black people, which emphasise the heroic or the exotic, and do not attempt to portray real people. Sadly, despite research, the identity of the sculptor and the sitter has not yet been established.