1st-2nd century AD. A provincial marble statuette representing a youth dressed in the style of Greek philosophers, wearing a long draped himation, the breast naked, left hand in resting position under the back, the right arm (preserved only partially) resting over the body, unusually with a feminine hairstyle. Similar to a bronze statuette of the Metropolitan Museum, inventory n. 14.130.1. 1.6 kg, 25cm (10"). From a private collection kept in Switzerland since 2008; previously in a Japanese collection kept in Switzerland. This small statuette echoes the life-sized statues found in the eastern Mediterranean, like the one from the island of Rhodes, whose ancient Greek cities were wealthy, flourishing centers of commerce and culture under the Romans. These style of statues were created to represent sons of important Roman officials stationed on Rhodes, on the Greek Islands, or the sons of wealthy Greeks, citizen of the empire. As Roman influence spread throughout the Mediterranean world, there was interchange of fashion, customs, and culture. Romans had great admiration for Greek culture; the island of Rhodes was famous for its schools of philosophy and rhetoric, and this boy even wears a Greek himation (cloak) instead of the traditional Roman toga.