This finely carved marble head fragment presents the left profile of a mature male figure, distinguished by a broad nose, softly modelled lips, and a full, gently articulated beard. The sculptural handling reveals a masterful understanding of human anatomy, with subtle transitions across the cheekbone, under-eye, and nasolabial fold lending the face a quiet psychological presence

The hair and beard are rendered with restrained precision, carved using a flat chisel to create softly undulating strands that retain both movement and restraint. The sensitivity of the modelling suggests the hand of a highly skilled workshop, drawing from the Classical Greek tradition as absorbed and reinterpreted during the Roman period

Identified in 1975 by the former director of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen as representing the Greek tragedian Sophocles, the fragment reflects the enduring reverence for intellectual and cultural figures in Roman society. Revered in antiquity and long after his death, Sophocles’ legacy shaped Western literature and philosophy for centuries

Formerly part of the collection of Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau (1816–1883), this fragment stands as a rare and contemplative survivor of classical antiquity—an object of both historical gravity and sculptural quietude