# Statue of a Young Boy

- By: Ancient Roman
- Date: 1st century
- Medium: Marble
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: 58 × 24.5 × 18.9 cm (22 7/8 × 9 5/8 × 7 1/2 in.)
- Culture: Italy
- Credit line: Katherine K. Adler Memorial Fund
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/51503)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/4025503f-88e7-6e7a-6fa8-30f974af27ed/full/!1689,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Representations of children were popular in both public and private art during the Roman imperial period. It is uncertain whether this statue is a portrait of a specific child or was inspired by a basic type that had originated among the Greeks several centuries earlier. The boy, who has a head of curly hair, rounded cheeks, and a pudgy belly, gazes downward and to the side. It is possible that he is admiring a pet at his feet, as Roman statues of children frequently depict them with companion animals such as geese, doves, and puppies.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0