Female Portrait on Modern Bust, Called Julia Titi

A high diadem of curls rises on the head of this elegant female portrait, covering the temples and part of the cheeks. At the back, her hair is drawn into various braids wound into a high, wide chignon while some locks fall softly on the neck. This type of hairstyle was launched by Julia, daughter of Titus and was in vogue throughout the Flavian age and beyond. The extreme complexity in the creation of the coiffure, a symbol of wealth and luxury, suggests that the hairstyle was flaunted by the wealthiest Roman matrons. The drill rendering of the curls gives the portrait an amazing chiaroscuro effect.

Inventory: MT 538

Material: White marble

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

Dating: Imperial age

Origin: Giustiniani Collection