A ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT HEAD OF THE EMPEROR AUGUSTUS

CIRCA LATE 1ST CENTURY B.C.-EARLY 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT HEAD OF THE EMPEROR AUGUSTUS
Circa Late 1st Century B.C.-Early 1st Century A.D.
Of Primaporta type, over-life-sized, the emperor's chosen self-image depicting him with idealized and ageless classical features, the oval head tapering gradually to his chin, his strong cheekbones causing a slight squareness to his cheeks, his fleshy, undulating lips pressed softly together, the corners indented within the softness of his cheeks, his aquiline nose with flaring nostrils, the unarticulated eyes lidded and subtly recessed, with a sharp thin brow, a single crease across the forehead, the layered hair composed of a mass of short comma-shaped locks, with the three characteristic locks at the center of his forehead, a single lock curving inward in front of each ear, supported on his strong, broad neck, placed upon a late 19th century marble base inscribed, "Head of Octavius Augustus from excavations of the Spitover Villa Ancient Rome"
13¼ in. (33.7 cm) high

Lot Essay

The Augustus Primaporta, named for the famous example found at his wife Livia's villa at Primaporta, was the first emperor's most widely depicted portrait type. The court-approved likeness marries Greek 5th century B.C. classical ideals of proportional harmony, symmetry, youth and beauty to subtle physiognomic traits of the princeps. Therefore creating, according to Zanker, (The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus, p. 99), what was considered the "visual equivalent of the title 'Augustus'." Both the title and the portrait type were thought to be introduced in 27 B.C. See Kleiner, Roman Sculpture, pp. 61-69 and Zanker, op cit., pp. 98-100.

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