Artwork Page for Portrait Head of Emperor Vespasian, Recut from Head of Nero

Details / Information for Portrait Head of Emperor Vespasian, Recut from Head of Nero

Portrait Head of Emperor Vespasian, Recut from Head of Nero

64–79 CE
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Italy, Roman

Medium
marble
Measurements
Overall: 40 x 21.6 x 24.9 cm (15 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 9 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1929.998
Public Domain
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Location
103 Roman
Print
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Did You Know?

Originally a portrait of Emperor Nero, this head was recarved after his damnatio memoriae (condemnation of memory).

Description

Although this portrait head was designed to fit into a statue of a body, it did not originally belong with the togate body that held it when purchased by the museum in 1929. In 1973, the two were separated, and the body is now in storage. The head itself was recarved in antiquity, from a likeness of Nero to one of Vespasian, following the damnatio memoriae (condemnation of memory) of the former. A line at the back of head shows clearly where the long hair of Nero has been shortened, while other Neronian features, such as a receding lower lip, remain.
Marble head of a man with short hair, thin lips pressed together in a faint smile, and head tilted slightly to his right. His eyebrows furrow together, with faint creases on his forehead. His ears and nose have been chipped. Dark brown speckles discolor the right side of his face.

Portrait Head of Emperor Vespasian, Recut from Head of Nero

64–79 CE

Italy, Roman

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