Antoninus Pius
140 - 150. White marble.Room 027
A bust of the Roman emperor, Antoninus Pius (86-161 A.D.), of a type set by the government itself from the moment he took power. This type of portrait went essentially unchanged during his entire reign. This monumental head of the long-lived Roman emperor has various modern additions. The hair and beard are based on depictions of his adoptive father, the Emperor Hadrian, but the face has individualised details. In the Historia Augusta Antoninus is described as “noble with gentle features, sober, kind-hearted, generous [...] and moderate.”