A large Roman marble portrait bust of the Emperor Tiberius
Circa A.D. 10-30
Depicted with his head turning dynamically to the left, the facial features and hair finely carved, with folds of drapery over his left shoulder, a tenon below for insertion into a bust or column, 21½in (54.5cm) high, mounted
Circa A.D. 10-30
Depicted with his head turning dynamically to the left, the facial features and hair finely carved, with folds of drapery over his left shoulder, a tenon below for insertion into a bust or column, 21½in (54.5cm) high, mounted
Sold for
£300,000
inc. premium
Footnotes
- Provenance:
English private collection.
R.E. Collection, New York until 2004.
Royal Athena Galleries, New York, Art of the Ancient World, vol. XVI, 2005, no.15.
Michael Bianco Collection, California, USA.
Published:
J. Pollini, 'A New Portrait Bust of Tiberius in the Collection of Michael Bianco', Babesch, vol. 83, 2008, pp. 149-154.
Literature:
Tiberius Claudius Nero (c. 42 B.C. - A.D. 37) was the son of Livia and the stepson of the Emperor Augustus. He succeeded Augustus in A.D. 14 and ruled for twenty-three years. This bust belongs to the portrait type known as the 'Florence-Munich-Ephesos' type (IV), and of these, the Bianco bust is closest to the Ephesos portrait (Selçuk Museum). The type is thought to have been produced circa A.D. 10 to commemorate Tiberius's military victories in Illyricum for which he was awarded a triumph. According to Pollini 'it is likely that the Bianco bust was produced between that time and the early years of Tiberius' Principate, when a new portrait type (Type V) was commissioned to represent him as Princeps following Augustus' death in 14'.
Category: Antiquities
Auction terms and conditions