Marble portrait of the emperor Augustus
Artwork Details
Details
- Medium
- Marble
- Size
- 12in. (30.5cm)
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Ancient Greek This over-life-size marble head represents Augustus (63 BCE to 14 CE), Rome's first emperor. It was likely part of a seated statue created during the reign of his successor Tiberius. The calm, idealized features show Augustus as eternally young, despite the fact that he died at 77.
Over 250 portraits of Augustus survive today, yet none show him in old age. This was deliberate. His portrait style combined individualized features with Classical Greek idealism, presenting him as dignified rather than divine. It was a calculated political image, distributed across the empire as propaganda.
This fragment is in Gallery 166 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It stands 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall and dates to around 14-37 CE.
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About Marble portrait of the emperor Augustus
No portraits of Augustus in old age exist, even though he died at 77. His image was intentionally idealized to convey timeless authority. The style drew from Classical Greek sculpture, presenting the emperor as calm and ageless rather than realistic.
Over 250 portraits of Augustus are known today. They were mass-produced and distributed across the Roman Empire as political messaging tools. This one at the Met likely came from a larger seated statue.
It's in Gallery 166 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The marble head is 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall.
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