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Bust of a woman
Roman
Early Imperial Period
30 B.C.–A.D. 14
Medium/Technique
Marble
Dimensions
Overall: 34.5 × 22.9 × 24.1 cm (13 9/16 × 9 × 9 1/2 in.)
Mounted: 48.3 cm (19 in.)
Mounted: 48.3 cm (19 in.)
Credit Line
Henry Lillie Pierce Fund
Accession Number99.345
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 333; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 114 (additional published references).
DescriptionBust of a woman with head turned to the right. Her hair is worn in the nodus hairstyle: it is divided into three sections with the side sections tied in a low bun at the nape and the middle band at the crown of the head combed forward to form a small roll with the ends braided and encircling the sides of the head. Both the hairstyle and the bust shape (small with a central tenon) suggest a date in the late Republican to early Julio-Claudian period.
The tip of the nose is restored in plaster. The bust is otherwise in very good condition with only minor scrapes. The skin is highly polished and was scraped to remove rootlet marks. The back of the left ear and temporal bone are carved much deeper than on the right side, signaling either a flaw in the marble or some ancient recarving. There are faint traces of pigments: reddish in the pupils and hair, and pink between the lips.
The tip of the nose is restored in plaster. The bust is otherwise in very good condition with only minor scrapes. The skin is highly polished and was scraped to remove rootlet marks. The back of the left ear and temporal bone are carved much deeper than on the right side, signaling either a flaw in the marble or some ancient recarving. There are faint traces of pigments: reddish in the pupils and hair, and pink between the lips.
ProvenanceBy 1899, bought at Capua by Edward Perry Warren (b. 1860 - d. 1928), London [see note 1]; 1899, sold by Edward Perry Warren to the MFA for $32,500 [see note 2]. (Accession date: December 24, 1899)
Notes:
[1] According to Warren’s records.
[2] This is the total price for MFA 99.338-99.542.
Notes:
[1] According to Warren’s records.
[2] This is the total price for MFA 99.338-99.542.