The head represents a young boy. His eyeballs are indicated by means of engraved irises and pupils, while his long hair has been combed forward and parted slightly to the left of centre. His hair is finer at the front, while the locks at the back of his head are more roughly reproduced. The neck is relatively long, which might suggest that the head was originally intended to form part of a statue. The rougher reproduction of the hair at the back of the head might furthermore be a sign that this was a special commission, intended to be exhibited in a niche. The hair style is common in portraits of boys from the Neronian era (AD 54–68) and right through the 2nd century AD, which along with the reproduction of the eyes helps to date it to the Antonine (AD 138–192) or the Severan (193–235) period.
