HERME DE DIADUMENE The rounded oval face is characterised by youthful features with tender contours and great harmony. The soft, yet closed expression is conveyed by a beautiful mouth with closed lips and large eyes with perfectly hemmed headlights. The delicate work on the fine superciliary arches and the partially damaged nose cast a natural shadow over the eyes. The hair, which is held back by a headband, is made up of wavy strands that gather at the temples, suggesting that the young man had an abundance of hair. Although the sculpture is cut in the vertical axis halfway up the skullcap, the presence of parts of the headband on either side of the face indicates that it was tied back at the base of the skull. The quality of the sculpture and the portrait's youthful, ideal physiognomy reveal a notable kinship with the Diadumene model by the 5th-century Greek sculptor Polyclitus (fig.1). The clear cut at the back of the sculpted part could also indicate the presence of another portrait, perhaps that of a bearded man likened to Dionysus, as in the case of the Janiform herm (fig.2) in the Museo Nazionale, Rome. In fact, the joining of two faces on a double herm was intended either as a contrast; youth/old age or as a union, as in the case of the double herm in the Museo Barracco, Rome, no.114 (fig.3), where two identical juvenile portraits that can be identified with the Dioscuri are united. White marble from Paros, wear patina and presence of rootlets on the surface. 38x28 cm Roman art, 2nd century A Roman marble Herm. The rounded oval face is characterized by youthful features with tender contours and great harmony. The expression, both soft and closed, is rendered by a beautiful mouth with closed lips, large eyes with perfectly shaped eyelids. The look is marked with a natural shadow by the delicate work of the fine eyebrow arches and the nose, although partially damaged. The hair held by a forehead band is made up of wavy locks gathering on the temples and suggesting that the young man had abundant hair. Although the sculpture is cut in the vertical axis in half of the skullcap, the presence on either side of the face of parts of the headband tells us that it was tied at the back at the bottom of the skull. The quality of the sculpture, as well as the young and ideal physiognomy of the portrait reveal a kinship. notable with the model of Diadumenes by the 5th century Greek sculptor, Polycleitos (fig.1). The clean cut at the back of the sculpted part could also indicate the presence of another portrait, perhaps that of a bearded man assimilated to Dionysus as in the case of the janiform herm (fig.2) preserved in the National Museum, Rome. In fact, the meeting of two faces on a double herme had either a contrasting intention; youth/old age or union, as in the case of the double herm kept at the Barracco Museum, Rome, n°114 (fig.3), where two identical juvenile portraits are united which can be identified with the Dioscuri. 2nd Century A.D. Provenance Private collection, France Accompanied by its Certificate of Cultural Property issued on 26/06/2017, n°185027