Portrait Bust of a Woman

CC0 Public Domain Designation

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Mid–2nd century

Roman

Carved by a sculptor of exceptional talent, this exquisite portrait bust depicts an elegant Roman woman of wealth and distinction. The subject bears a solemn expression as she looks to her left, which affords a tantalizing glimpse of her intricate hairstyle. The wavy locks that frame her face are combed to the back, where they are woven into numerous braids, nearly all of which are wound into a heavy, multitiered bun worn at the upper part of the back of the head. This coiffure emulates a type worn by Faustina the Elder (d. AD 141), wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius (r. AD 138–61), suggesting that she lived during this period. A gem-encrusted diadem encircles the subject’s head, alluding to her elevated social standing. Her garments are similarly luxurious, including her crisply pleated, gap-sleeved tunic, which is so thinly carved that light passes through parts of the marble. Out of modesty she also wears an overgarment, its deep folds indicating a thick material, possibly wool. Draped low across her torso, the mantle reveals the gentle swell of her right breast, an unusual feature of Roman busts of this period.

Status: On View, Gallery 154
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Roman
Title: Portrait Bust of a Woman
Place: Rome (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 140 CE–150 CE
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: 64.8 × 47.6 × 27.3 cm (25 1/2 × 18 3/4 × 10 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by The Antiquarian Society in honor of Ian Wardropper, the Classical Art Society, Mr. and Mrs. Isak V. Gerson, James and Bonnie Pritchard, and Mrs. Hugo Sonnenschein; Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bro Fund; Katherine K. Adler, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Alexander in honor of Ian Wardropper, David Earle III, William A. and Renda H. Lederer Family, Chester D. Tripp, and Jane B. Tripp endowments
Reference Number: 2002.11
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/159136/manifest.json

“Handsome Acquisitions,” Antiquarian Society Newsletter (2002), p. 5 (ill.).
Ghenete Zelleke, “An Embarrassment of Riches: Fifteen Years of European Decorative Arts,” in “Gifts Beyond Measure: The Antiquarian Society and European Decorative Arts, 1987–2002,” special issue, Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 28, 2 (2002), pp. 87–89, cat. 55 (ill.).
Ghenete Zelleke, “David Adler, Benefactor and Trustee,” in David Adler, Architect: The Elements of Style, ed. Martha Thorne (Yale University Press, 2002), pp. 54–55 (ill.), 66.
Karen Manchester, “Bust of a Woman,” in “Notable Acquisitions at the Art Institute of Chicago,” special issue, Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 29, 2 (2003), pp. 54–55 (ill.), 95.
Art Institute of Chicago, “New Acquisition,” News and Events: The Art Institute of Chicago (Jan.–Feb. 2003), p. 5 (ill.).
Karen Manchester, Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2012), pp. 11; 33; 39, n. 134; 96–97, cat. 22 (ill.); 113.
Art Institute of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago: Pocketguide (Art Institute of Chicago, 2013), p. 19, fig. 36.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Acquisitions,” Art Institute of Chicago Annual Report 2001–2002 (Art Institute of Chicago, 2002), p. 11.
Karen Manchester, “Cat. 8 Portrait Bust of a Woman: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).
Rachel C. Sabino, with contributions by Lorenzo Lazzarini, “Cat. 8 Portrait Bust of a Woman: Technical Report,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).
Sarah Elizabeth Beckmann, 2016, “Statuary Collections In The Late Roman Villas Of Hispania And Southwestern Gaul,” PhD dissertation (University of Pennsylvania), p. 229, note 541.
Ashley Arico and Elizabeth Benge,“A New Look at Faces from the Past,” Art Institute of Chicago ARTicle, March 14, 2019.
Elisabetta Gagetti, “Le vie del lusso. Un raro diadema con zaffiri da Colonna (Roma),” “LANX” 28 (2020), pp. 72-74, 83, figs. 10-11.
Dimitris Damaskos, “Eικονιστικοί ανδριάντες και πορτρέτα αυτοκρατoρικών χρόνων από την ακρόπολη της Αμφίπολης”, in ΠΛΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΣΤΗ ΡΩΜΑΪΚΗ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ: ΝΕΑ ΕΥΡΗΜΑΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΝΕΕΣ ΕΡΕΥΝΕΣ (Plastic in Roman Greece: New Findings and New Research) (Thessaloniki, 2022), p. 277 (ill.).

Art Institute of Chicago, Ancient Art Galleries, Gallery 156, 2002-February 2012.
Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 152, November 11, 2012-present.

Hans von Aulock (1906-1980), purchased in Istanbul, 1950s; sold to Horst-Ulbo Bauer, Kleinkunst der Antike, Cologne, by 1968 [see letter dated December 17, 2001 in curatorial file]; consigned to Mr. L. Rosenberg of Galerie Ars Antiqua, Lusanne, after 1968 [see letter dated December 17, 2001 in curatorial file]; sold to André Vogt, Switzerland, after 1968 [see letter dated December 17, 2001 in curatorial file]; sold to Swiss private investor, 1971; sold to Phoenix Ancient Art, Geneva and New York, mid 1990s; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2002.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

On View

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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Culture

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Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.