Vespasian came to imperial power in the civil war that followed the death of Nero. Earlier he had commanded the Roman forces which took control of southern Britain. The style of this portrait with its down-to-earth honesty is sometimes called ‘veristic’, and evokes the traditional forthright values that Vespasian espoused.
This portrait is thought to be contemporary; he was emperor from 69 to 79 and was seventy when he died
Number:
529
Material:
Marble
Location of Original:
Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek 659a
Size:
0.46m
References:
Poulsen: Katalog over Antike Skulpturen Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, 447 & pl. LIV
Poulsen: Römische Mittheilung XXIX (1914), 44-. fig.3
Date:
c.75 CE
Provenance:
Said to have been found in Naples
