Head of Apollo, possibly after a Hellenistic prototype,

ca. 140 A.D.

This detached head has been identified as belonging to Apollo, the god of music and poetry, due to the laurel wreath in the hair. Though dated to Imperial Rome, the sculpture recalls earlier Greek depictions of Apollo, particularly those made by the sculptor Praxiteles in the late fourth century B.C. Several ancient authors describe sculptures by Praxiteles, and numerous copies of his works survive. Praxiteles’s representation of Apollo thoughtfully preparing to capture a lizard shares a similarity with the Princeton head in hairstyle and lips pursed in active contemplation.