Bust with a Female Portrait, Called Aquilia Severa or Julia Maesa

The portrait head and a bust are integral and of high formal quality. The plump oval face portrays a young woman that displays a particular hairstyle in vogue in the early Severian age. The hair is centrally parted, wide wavy bands descend to the middle of the neck, covering the ears, and gathered in a wide braided chignon that sits soft on the nape. The fine tunic is wrapped around her left arm and delicately reveals the shape of the hand clenched in a fist. It is not certain whether it is a portrait of Giulia Mesa or Aquilia Severa; however, due to the grandeur and the remarkable quality of the work, it is possible to assert that she is a prominent woman from the time of Caracalla.

Inventory: MT 577

Material: White marble

Technique: Work sculpted through the use of: chisels (also square-tipped and toothed) rasps

Dating: Imperial age

Origin: Tor Sapienza (Rome)