Works of Art
Roman Bronze Bust of Emperor Augustus
Period: Imperial Period, Circa end of the 1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.
Culture: Roman
Category:
Dimensions: Height: 14cm (18.5cm w/ base) Width: 8.5cm
Price: POR
Provenance: Ex-E.Boustros, Beirut, 1982.
Condition: In spite of some minor nicks, the bust is practically intact. The surface, of a dark brown colour, is in excellent condition; in places, it has retained a clear green patina.
Description
The artistic and technical qualities of this beautiful portrait of Emperor Augustus are simply remarkable, and stand as testament to the masterful skill of its sculptor. This work exudes a beautiful monumentality.
The identification of this head is made possible thanks to the particular arrangement of the curls on the forehead, which correspond with those found on many portraits of the first Roman emperor, Octas. Although the apparently advanced age of this person and his long, thin neck, which recalls the “Actium” type, this portvius Augustus (Rome, 63 B.C.- Nole, 14 B.C., emperor: 27-14 B.C.). The shape and the elementrait probably belongs to the second group of “Prima Porta”: the shape of the face, certain wrinkles, the general arrangement of the curls on the forehead are all elements that support this hypothesis. The stylistic and typological differences between this bust and the most recent images of the “Prima Porta” are perhaps due to its provincial origins (Asia Minor).
The bronze portraits of Augustus are much less frequent than stone portraits and, overall, images of a reduced size like this one are quite rare.
Bibliography
Published:
- Avenue Magazine, New York, 2000
- BOSCHUNG D., “Die Bildnisse des Augustus (Das römische Herrscherbild 1,2)”, 1993, p. 114, no. 14 (for the small bronze portrait in Naples).
- BOSCHUNG D., “Die Bildnistypen der julisch-claudischen Kaiserfamilie: ein kritischer Forschungsbericht”, in Journal of Roman Archaeology, no. 6, 1993, p. 41-43.
- DE KERSAUSON K., “Musée du Louvre: Catalogue des portraits romains”, vol. I, 1986, p. 96-97, no. 42 (bronze portrait).
- KLEINER D.E.E., “Roman Sculpture”, 1992, p. 59-69.