Jasper statuette of a man wearing a toga

Roman

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 166


A semiprecious stone, jasper is difficult to carve and rarely used for sculpture. In this statuette, the stone’s rich veins of variegated reds and browns were chosen specifically to suggest the toga picta, a purple-dyed garment worn only by Roman consuls and the emperor. The head and arms were likely of another luxury stone, or perhaps of ivory.

Jasper statuette of a man wearing a toga, Jasper, Roman

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