Portrait of a Man on Modern Bust

Roman art

A first mention of this bust’s presence in the Palazzina Borghese is from 1840, though its identification is uncertain. It depicts the emperor Augustus in the so-called Forbes-type style, with his typical hairdo arranged tidily on the forehead. The head, set on a modern bust, displays numerous traces of conservation work intended to repair the deterioration quite likely caused by having been outdoors. Its antiquity was initially considered doubtful by critics, who now believe the sculpture to be ascribable to the first century BCE.

Object details

Commentary

The head, set atop a modern bust wearing a paludamentum, is turned to the right. The face is hairless, an elongated oval with a broad, slightly contracted forehead. The mouth is closed, the cheek bones prominent. The thin eyebrows are lightly arched, the eyes smooth and the upper eyelid pronounced. The corners of the mouth are just barely upturned. The hair originates in a vortex set in the occipital area of the head, whence the strands of hair depart, coming to a rest at the top of the forehead. The bangs are arranged above the left eye in the traditional ‘swallow-tail’ and above the right in a ‘pincer’ shape.  

The portrait is an example of official Augustan Forbes-type iconography as seen in a specimen preserved at the Musei Capitolini (Inv. 495: Sewczyk 2013, p. 163, no. II 14.2). A fitting comparison can be found in a similar sculpture exhibited at the Louvre and dated 27 BCE (Sewczyk 2013, p. 163, no. II 14.1).  

The bust is apparently mentioned for the first time in 1840 in the Indicazione, which lists it as ‘unknown bust’ and places it in the Entrance Hall of the Palazzina Borghese. Later the same expression was used by Nibby (1841, p. 912). In 1957, Calza was the first to identify it as a likeness of Augustus by comparing it with a portrait from Ostia, though she expressed some doubts as to its antiquity (p. 13, no. 113). The same opinion was held by Fittschen, Zanker 1985, pp. 7–9), Borschung (1993, p. 198, no. 231) and Moreno (Moreno, Viacava 2003, pp. 127–128). 

An in-depth study carried out by Ciofetta underlined the evident deterioration of the piece, which was further confirmed by conservative studies and quite likely ascribable to a prolonged exposure to the elements. The author further remarked upon the ample conservation efforts evident mainly in the extreme polish of the surface and in the numerous integrations, probably executed in the 1830s when the sculpture first entered the halls of Villa Borghese (Ciofetta 2022, pp. 320–322). 

 By observing the style and making comparisons with other known works, the portrait can be dated to the first century BCE. 

Giulia Ciccarello