Works of Art
Roman Marble Bust of a Woman
Period: 2nd century A.D.
Culture: Roman
Category: Array
Dimensions: Height: 50.8 cm
Price: POR
Provenance: Ex-Von Boschan-Aschrott Collection, Vienna, Austria, 19th century.
Condition: The head is in a superb state of conservation. The surface is smooth, but has never been polished. Some remains of hardened sand are still visible, especially on the hair locks and clothes. The central part of the face, where the marble taint is slightly yellowish would possibly have sustained a more imporatant cleaning process.
Description
This beautiful bust of a woman, or matron, is of life size dimensions. The craftsmanship is precise and of excellent quality, as attested by superbly smooth, yet troubled surfaces, by the ample use of grooves, furrows, and incisions, all indicating a great number of anatomical details.
Not hollowed at the back, this bust is cut from a single block. Behind its cubic base, a perpendicular projection fixed the piece to a support, the nature of which is unknown. It represents an aged woman whose severe expression nevertheless conveys a deep sense of serenity. Her very elaborate hairstyle is partly artificial. On the forehead and temples small stacked curls form a sort of diadem; toward the back there are additional locks and small tresses; at the back of the head a large braid coils into a chignon; on the neck near the ears are two more small curls.
This kind of hairdressing was fashionable under the Flavians and persisted until the beginning of Trajan’s reign, giving this portrait a probable date between 90 and 110 A.D.
This work comes from Rome and was restored in the 19th century.
Bibliography
Parallels:
- DE KERSAUSON K., Catalogue des portraits romains, Tome II, De l’année de la guerre civile (68-69 ap. J.-C.) à la fin de l’Empire, Paris, 1996, n. 9-15, p. 38-51 (headdress).
- FITTSCHEN K.-ZANKER P., Katalog der römischen Porträts in den Capitolinischen Museen und den anderen kommunalen Sammlungen der Stadt Rom, Vol. III, Kaiserinnenbildnisse und Frauenporträts, Mayence/Rhin, 1983, n.