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Head of a Julio-Claudian prince, possibly Drusus Caesar
Roman
Imperial Period
about A.D. 30, reworked about A.D. 33
Medium/Technique
Marble, probably from the Greek island of Paros
Dimensions
Overall: 37.5 × 24.1 × 21.6 cm (14 3/4 × 9 1/2 × 8 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Edwin E. Jack Fund
Accession Number1971.393
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 331; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 114 (additional published references).
DescriptionBust of a Julio-Claudian man. The original subject of this bust might be the imperial prince Drusus Caesar, brother of the Emperor Caligula. Portraits of Drusus Caesar show him with a hairstyle that has locks curving out from a central fork with a small 'pincer' lock on the right corner of the hairline and none on the left. Originally, this hairstyle was present here; however, the hair above the forehead has been chiseled away by someone using both a pointed and a toothed chisel. The new face bears some resemblance to the Emperor Claudius in its oval shape and also the Emperor Caligula in terms of its unusual characteristic of having the hair combed back instead of forward and down from the crown of the head. A number of Roman portraits were recarved in antiquity, particularly of individuals who had fallen out of imperial favor.
The neck, which has been broken across the front, was worked for insertion in a draped (or draped and cuirassed) statue or bust. The ears are chipped, and the crown of the head has been damaged slightly. Otherwise, allowing for the alterations mentioned in the description above, the head is in excellent condition, with an irregular but attractive yellow patina.
Scientific Analysis:
University of South Florida Lab No. 8422: Isotope ratios - delta13C +5.4 / delta18O -3.1,
Attribution - Paros 1 (Marathi). Justification - C and O isotopes
The neck, which has been broken across the front, was worked for insertion in a draped (or draped and cuirassed) statue or bust. The ears are chipped, and the crown of the head has been damaged slightly. Otherwise, allowing for the alterations mentioned in the description above, the head is in excellent condition, with an irregular but attractive yellow patina.
Scientific Analysis:
University of South Florida Lab No. 8422: Isotope ratios - delta13C +5.4 / delta18O -3.1,
Attribution - Paros 1 (Marathi). Justification - C and O isotopes
ProvenanceSaid to have been found at Marmaris (ancient Physkos) on the southern coast of Caria. Said to have been acquired from an English estate by Kenneth John Hewett (dealer; b. 1919 - d. 1994), London; sold by Hewett to Robert E. Hecht, Jr.; 1971, sold by Robert Hecht to the MFA. (Accession Date: November 10, 1971)