Portrait of a Woman on a Modern Bust
The bust depicts a young woman; on the nape of her neck, to the right, a few unruly curls escape her complex hairstyle incorporating a multiple tiara and a turban of plaits, which was a very common choice among women of the late Trajan and Hadrian age, both of the imperial court (in particular Matidia Minor and Vibia Sabina) and among private citizens of all ranks. The bust, probably made for funerary purposes, depicts a Roman matron. Of unknown provenance, this piece is mentioned among the seven antique busts displayed in the niches of Room II in Nibby’s 1832 guidebook.
Object details
Inventory
Location
Date
Classification
Medium
Dimensions
Provenance
Borghese Collection, first mentioned by Nibby (1832); Inventario Fidecommissario Borghese 1833, C, p. 46, no. 79. Purchased by the Italian State, 1902.
Conservation and Diagnostic
Commentary
This head on a modern bust represents a young woman, as indicated by her tight and smooth skin. The face is petite with a high zygomatic structure and wide cheeks; on the nape of her neck, to the right a few unruly curls escape her complex and partly restored hairstyle incorporating a multiple tiara and a turban of plaits. At the back, the turban does not expand but follows the shape of the head. The high forehead is smooth with no wrinkles; the large, elongated, almond-shaped eyes have a thin incision defining the iris and are framed by thick eyelids. The short, sharp nose and small mouth have been partly restored.
The work, probably made for funerary purposes, depicts a Roman matron. The elaborate hairstyle corresponds to a typology that was very common among women of the late Trajan and Hadrian age, used by members of the imperial court and private citizens of all ranks alike.
The shape of the plaits and the turban is reminiscent of certain images of Matidia Minor and her sister Vibia Sabina, wife of the emperor Hadrian (117–138 CE) in portraits dating from the early years of her consort’s rule; both women were presented by imperial propaganda as positive examples upholding traditional virtues and expressing devotion to the emperor.
Of unknown provenance, Nibby’s 1832 guide mentions this sculpture among the seven antique busts displayed in the niches of Room II.
Jessica Clementi
Bibliography
- A. Nibby, Monumenti scelti della Villa Borghese, Roma 1832, p. 62.
- A. Venturi, Il Museo e la Galleria Borghese, Roma 1893, p. 27.
- G. Giusti, La Galerie Borghèse et la Ville Humbert Premier à Rome, Roma 1904, p. 24.
- P. Moreno, Museo e Galleria Borghese, La collezione archeologica, Roma 1980, p. 12.
- P. Moreno, S. Staccioli, Le collezioni della Galleria Borghese, Milano 1981, p. 102.
- P. Moreno, A. Viacava, I marmi antichi della Galleria Borghese. La collezione archeologica di Camillo e Francesco Borghese, Roma 2003, p. 164, n. 133.
- Scheda di catalogo 99000450, G. Ciccarello 2021
