Head of Sol / Helios intarsio from Sant Prisca

TNMM 385

A short distance behind the little steps leading to the bench near door N an extremely beautiful head in intarsio was found (pp. 69f). The head (H. 0.33 m.) lay face downwards with the hair to the south of it near a vase Z 18 (Pl. XXXV, 3-4); the greater part was still intact, though some small pieces were scattered when it was thrown down onto the podium. In spite of a careful search some minor fragments were not found and seem to be lost. It is not clear where the marble head was attached; it does not seem to have belonged to the centre of the niche in Y, as it became clear when cleaning this, that at this point there were still the remains of a stucco head which was surrounded by the signs of the Zodiac.

The first suggested reconstruction (Pl. XXXVI, 1-2) of the pieces is not accepted by the restorer Giovanni Sansone (Pl. XXXVII). The head is composed of several varieties of marble; the cheek is giallo antico of a pleasing red colour which gives a natural appearance to the face, and the hair is executed in rosso rubino, rosso corallo, dark yellow and olive-green. The whole head was surrounded by blue cipollino, which had largely disintegrated. The head represents Sol and may be dated to the first half of the 3rd cent. A.D.