A ROMAN MINIATURE CHALCEDONY PORTRAIT BUST OF A YOUNG WOMAN

JULIO-CLAUDIAN, CIRCA MID-1ST CENTURY A.D.

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A ROMAN MINIATURE CHALCEDONY PORTRAIT BUST OF A YOUNG WOMAN
JULIO-CLAUDIAN, CIRCA MID-1ST CENTURY A.D.
Possibly representing either Agrippina Major or Minor, her hair finely carved in tight curls radiating from a central parting, tied at the nape of her neck in a chignon, with ringlets falling behind her ears, the face highly polished with large eyes and bow-shaped lips
1½ in. (3.8 cm.) high

來源

Gawain McKinley collection, acquired prior to 1996.

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拍品專文

Most of the known examples of heads and busts of emperors, empresses and deities carved in semi-precious stone (usually white or blue chalcedony) were published by W.-R. Megow, Kameen von Augustus bis Alexander Severus, Berlin, 1987. The series of emperors' busts continued into the 4th Century although heads of Imperial women are rarer. Cf. Megow, op. cit., for a chalcedony bust of Antonia (Megow, E5), a green chalcedony head of Drusilla (Megow, D33) in the British Museum and a similar fragment in the Fitzwilliam (Megow, D34).

The hairstyle of the example above is reminiscent of both Agrippina Major and Minor. For cameos of Agrippina Major cf. Megow, op. cit D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, and for Aprippina Minor B25, B26, and B27.

For sculptural portraits of Agrippina Major cf. K. de Kersauson, Catalogues des portraits romains Tome I, Portraits de la République et d'époque Julio-Claudienne, Paris, 1986, pp. 132-135, nos 60-61. For Agrippina Minor cf. Kersauson, op. cit. pp. 202-205, nos 95-96, and V. Poulsen, Les portraits romains, I, Copenhagen, 1962, pp. 96-99, nos 61-63.