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This head of a king was most probably part of one of the figures decorating the doorway of the Cathedral in Kalocsa. Fragments of the portal, of the same red marble, were unearthed during excavations in the last century. Constructed of alternating stone and red marble, the Kalocsa portal may have been similar to the western portal of the former St. Adalbert's in Esztergom, built before 1196.
The head, formed in a summary manner, is one of the finest examples of Romanesque stone-carving in Hungary. It is elaborated also at the back and is crowned with a hoop-like headdress decorated with three Greek crosses. In shape the crown resembles the death-crown found in the grave of Béla III. The simplicity of the form, the elaboration of the beard, moustache and hair in parallel straight lines and the strongly outlined wide-open eyes are responsible for the monumental character of the head. Formerly it was thought to be the head of King St. Stephen, founder of the Cathedral, but it may rather be that of one of the biblical kings adorning the portal.
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