REIGN OF ANTONINUS PIUS, 138-161 A.D.

Portraits of Faustina the Elder, the wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius, are characterized by an oval face with almond-shaped eyes, a slightly hooked nose, rounded lips and a fleshy chin (see pp. 277-279 in D.E.E. Kleiner, Roman Sculpture). With her center-parted wavy hair terminating in a plaited coil at the crown of her head, this example compares favorably with Faustina’s first portrait type, which was most probably conceived during her lifetime. For a similar example, see the portrait in Schloss Erbach, no. 30 in K. Fittschen, Katalog der antiken Skulpturen in Schloss Erbach. The roughly-hewn backside indicates that Faustina’s coiffure was completed with painted stucco.