Plaster cast of a Roman child's face, Paris, France, 1878-1920 | Science Museum Group Collection
Plaster cast of a Roman child's face, Paris, France, 1878-1920
Made:
1860-1920
in
Paris
maker:
Unknown
Use this<br>image
Use this<br>image
Use this<br>image
This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0<br>Licence
Download
Buy this image as a print
Buy
-->
License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
-->
License<br>-->
License
This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0<br>Licence
Download
Buy this image as a print
Buy
-->
License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
-->
License<br>-->
License
This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0<br>Licence
Download
Buy this image as a print
Buy
-->
License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
-->
License<br>-->
License
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Plaster cast of a child's face
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Plaster cast of a child's face
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Plaster cast of a child's face, from a mould accidently made when cement seal of sarcophagus leaked inside and covered childs face, found in France in 1878. Roman, 1st century AD, cast 1878-1920.
The handwritten French label on the reverse of this tiny plaster cast explains its history. In 1878, a stone Roman burial sarcophagus was found in the gardens of a Paris convent. When a tiny Roman child died 1800 years before, cement sealing the sarcophagus leaked inside and formed a mould of the child’s face. This plaster cast was created using that mould sometime between its discovery and 1920. The translation states the child was buried with a perfectly preserved small glass bottle. However, there is no indication of the cause of death.
The label indicates the child came from Arènes de Lutèce, a prosperous and important Gallo-Roman town within modern day Paris. The Roman remains of Arènes de Lutèce were rediscovered in the 1860s during excavations for the building of a new tram stop.
Interesting Articles
Blogs
What would the Romans think of GDPR?
Details
Category:
Classical & Medieval Medicine
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A656209
Materials:
plaster
Measurements:
overall: 144 mm x 121 mm x 46 mm, .481 kg
type:
plaster cast
Cite this page
Text to use for citation<br>Science Museum Group. Plaster cast of a Roman child's face, Paris, France, 1878-1920. A656209 Science Museum Group Collection Online. Accessed 6 August 2026. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co84770/plaster-cast-of-a-roman-childs-face-paris-france-1878-1920.
Rights
We encourage the use and reuse of our collection data.
Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero
Descriptions and all other text content are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence
Using our data
Download
Download catalogue entry as json
View manifest in IIIF viewer<br>-->
Add to Animal Crossing Art Generator-->
Download manifest IIIF
Our records are constantly being enhanced and improved, but please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any<br>information shown on this website.
Related Objects
Tin glazed earthenware tile with polychrome decoration
Tin glazed earthenware tile with polychorome decoration
Tin glazed earthenware tile with polychrome decoration
Tin glazed earthenware border tile from a mosque
Tin glazed earthenware tile with blue and white painted bands
Tin glazed earthenware tile with polychrome decoration