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My barber in Tulsa said most "Roman" busts in museums are actually copies, and now I can't unsee it in every exhibit
Was getting a haircut two weeks ago and my barber Ray has a degree in classics. He mentioned that a huge chunk of the marble statues labeled as Roman originals are really later copies, sometimes from the 1700s. I pushed back because I've seen the plaques at the Met and the British Museum, they say Roman. He told me to look for drill marks and uniform polishing, originals usually show tool chatter and uneven wear. I spent 3 hours on museum sites that night and he's right, tons of them say "Roman copy after a Greek original." Now when I see a bust I just wonder how many hands touched it before it got displayed. Does anybody here know a good way to spot a copy versus an original in person?
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lilyanderson20d ago
Guessing I've been admiring 1700s knockoffs this whole time.
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