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Portrait of an empress possibly Fausta
Roman
Late Imperial Period
300–325
Medium/Technique
Marble from Göktepe, Turkey (near Aphrodisias)
Scientific Analysis:University of South Florida Lab No. 8444: Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.3 / delta18O -3.5, Istituto di Struttura della Materia - CNR Lab No. 9 (January 30, 2012): maximum grain size: 0.5mm; electron paramagnetic resonance: intensity 24.8%, line width 53.3%; Sr 795 ppm.; Attribution - Göktepe 4, Turkey (near Aphrodisias). Justification - C and O isotopes, fine grain, pure white, rather low EPR intensity, high Sr.
Probability of correct quarry assignment (Istituto di Struttura della Materia - CNR Lab No. 9; January 30, 2012):distance of sample from center of quarry probability field: 2.9; relative probability: 98%; absolute probability 58%
NOTE: Dr. Julia Lenaghan suggests the marble is Pentelic
Scientific Analysis:University of South Florida Lab No. 8444: Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.3 / delta18O -3.5, Istituto di Struttura della Materia - CNR Lab No. 9 (January 30, 2012): maximum grain size: 0.5mm; electron paramagnetic resonance: intensity 24.8%, line width 53.3%; Sr 795 ppm.; Attribution - Göktepe 4, Turkey (near Aphrodisias). Justification - C and O isotopes, fine grain, pure white, rather low EPR intensity, high Sr.
Probability of correct quarry assignment (Istituto di Struttura della Materia - CNR Lab No. 9; January 30, 2012):distance of sample from center of quarry probability field: 2.9; relative probability: 98%; absolute probability 58%
NOTE: Dr. Julia Lenaghan suggests the marble is Pentelic
Dimensions
Overall: 27.5cm (10 13/16in.)
Mount (Bolts onto pedestal / opens at back of pedestal): 30.5 x 35.6 cm (12 x 14 in.)
Mount (Bolts onto pedestal / opens at back of pedestal): 30.5 x 35.6 cm (12 x 14 in.)
Credit Line
William E. Nickerson Fund
Accession Number62.662
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 380; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 116 (additional published references).
DescriptionThis head likely represents the Empress Fausta, wife of the Emperor Constantine. There has been some debate as to whether Helena, Constantine’s mother, is depicted. However, the square jaw, full cheeks, and small mouth conform to numismatic portraits of Fausta. Typical of members of Constantine’s family, this head has heavy-lidded eyes and incised eyebrows. The incised pupils and upward gaze are characteristic features of late antique portraits. The face is smooth and blemish-free with full cheeks and softly modeled flesh. Her hair is in a style known as the Scheitelzopf, in which the hair is drawn back and folded over the top of the head to form a broad roll. At the point where the hair folds upwards at the back of the neck, her hair is interwoven with false locks in a net rendered through cross-hatching. The semicircular locks of hair framing her face are punctuated by drill points.
The head is broken off at the neck, but it originally belonged to a bust or full-length statue. There is damage to the nose, chin, and edges of the hair. The surface of the stone has an incrustation of root marks, now partly cleaned. The remaining patina is a light yellow or grayish brown.
The head is broken off at the neck, but it originally belonged to a bust or full-length statue. There is damage to the nose, chin, and edges of the hair. The surface of the stone has an incrustation of root marks, now partly cleaned. The remaining patina is a light yellow or grayish brown.
ProvenanceBy date unknown: with Robert E. Hecht, Jr. (according to entry 380 in Sculpture in Stone: from Rome); September 19, 1962: purchased by MFA from Robert E. Hecht, Jr. for $ 1,700-