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Head of Augustus
Roman
Imperial Period
about 37-54 or 117-130 A.D.
Medium/Technique
Marble from the Greek island of Paros
Dimensions
Overall: 43.3 × 26.7 × 24.1 cm (17 1/16 × 10 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.)
Mounted: 55.2 cm (21 3/4 in.)
Mounted: 55.2 cm (21 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Henry Lillie Pierce Fund
Accession Number99.344
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 329; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 114 (additional published references).
DescriptionThis head of the Emperor Augustus was likely originally inserted into a full-length statue or a bust. Augustus’ face is blemish free and idealized. He has a broad forehead, aquiline nose, and narrow chin. There is a single crease running the length of his forehead. His almond-shaped eyes have thin lids with sharp edges and are set below the sharp ridge of his brow. The locks of hair are carved in a very three-dimensional style with several individual locks being undercut, giving the hair the impression of being particularly voluminous. The hair is rendered in the style of the Augustus Primaporta type, but an additional layer of hair has been added between the front locks and the section of hair near the crown.
The upper lobes of the ears are broken. Each ear has two iron pins projecting from them, likely from attempts to restore the breaks. The head was worked for insertion into a full-length statue, as indicated by the five iron pins projecting from the edges of the bust. The head is carved out of Lychnites marble from the Greek island of Paros, one of the most prestigious and expensive marbles in antiquity. Restorations were made to this portrait during the 18th century.
Scientific Analysis:
University of South Florida Lab No. 8421: Isotope ratios - delta13C +4.8/ delta18O -3.7,
Attribution - Paros 1, Marathi (Lychnites quarry). Justification - C and O isotopes, medium grain
The upper lobes of the ears are broken. Each ear has two iron pins projecting from them, likely from attempts to restore the breaks. The head was worked for insertion into a full-length statue, as indicated by the five iron pins projecting from the edges of the bust. The head is carved out of Lychnites marble from the Greek island of Paros, one of the most prestigious and expensive marbles in antiquity. Restorations were made to this portrait during the 18th century.
Scientific Analysis:
University of South Florida Lab No. 8421: Isotope ratios - delta13C +4.8/ delta18O -3.7,
Attribution - Paros 1, Marathi (Lychnites quarry). Justification - C and O isotopes, medium grain
ProvenanceBetween 1787 and 1796, excavated at Ariccia, near Rome, by Cardinal Antonio Despuig y Demeto (b. 1745 – d. 1813), Archbishop of Seville; passed by descent through the Despuig family and kept at Raxa, Mallorca; 1899, sold by the Despuig family, through Lorenzo Rosselló y Rosselli (b. 1867 – d. 1901), Mallorca [see note 1], to Edward Perry Warren (b. 1860 – d. 1928), London; 1899, sold by Edward Perry Warren to the MFA for $32,500 [see note 2]. (Accession Date: December 24, 1899)
NOTES:
[1] Lorenzo Rosselló was put in charge of selling parts of the Despuig collection between 1897 and 1900. See Catalina Cantarellas Camps, “Lorenzo Rosselló (Mallorca, 1867 – 1901),” Liño 20 (2014): pp. 12-13. [2] Total price for MFA accession nos. 99.338-99.542.
NOTES:
[1] Lorenzo Rosselló was put in charge of selling parts of the Despuig collection between 1897 and 1900. See Catalina Cantarellas Camps, “Lorenzo Rosselló (Mallorca, 1867 – 1901),” Liño 20 (2014): pp. 12-13. [2] Total price for MFA accession nos. 99.338-99.542.