Bust of Emperor Augustus

The "Bust of Emperor Augustus" is a testament to the timeless grandeur of this legendary figure. Handcrafted with precision from stone, each piece is unique, bearing variations in color. Measuring W. 30 cm, D. 25 cm, and H. 26 cm, it echoes the opulence of over-life-size statues of Emperor Augustus. In antiquity, bronze statues of the emperor were as numerous as marble ones, but few survived. This bust captures Augustus' individuality while maintaining an ageless idealized portrayal, a reminder of his enduring legacy.

HISTORIC PROVENANCE

The Bust of the Emperor Augustus is inspired by a larger-than-life-size marble portrait (ca. A.D. 14–37) of the Roman emperor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This fragment may have been part of a seated statue of Augustus, made during the reign of his stepson and successor, Tiberius. Over 250 portraits of Augustus are known today, and though relatively few bronze statues survive, there were probably as many bronze likenesses of the emperor as there were marble ones. While he is depicted as ageless and idealized in this example, his features are individualized. He died at the age of 77 in A.D 14, but no portraits of him in old age are known. Handcrafted in sandstone, this reinterpretation presents the emperor’s head in a horizontal position, resting on a sandstone base.