Portrait Bust of a Woman
| Culture | Roman |
|---|---|
| Title | Portrait Bust of a Woman |
| Date | 10–40 CE |
| Medium | Marble |
| Dimensions | Overall: 16 1/8 x 9 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (41 x 24.1 x 16.5 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 83.31 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
A bust depicts a middle-aged woman looking slightly to her left. Her hair is pulled back and she wears a thin garment. A rounded cylindrical element extends below the base of the bust, presumably as a means of attachment.
Portraits of private citizens were frequently commissioned and placed in public spaces and private homes to honor or memorialize prominent individuals. These statues were almost certainly accompanied by inscriptions, but, since inscriptions are frequently lost or damaged, their subjects have become anonymous. Portraits of citizens, however, often follow the fashions of imperial portraiture and, thus, dating is sometimes possible. The hairstyle of this elegant woman, for instance, was popular at the end of the reign of Augustus and throughout the reign of Tiberius. This portrait is very finely carved; the plug at the base of the bust indicates that it was originally attached to some kind of plinth or inserted into an architectural niche.
1983, Indiana University Art Museum purchase from McAlpine Ancient Art Limited, London, England [1]
Notes:
[1] Bruce McAlpine (b.1947) and Ingrid Schlosshauer McAlpine (1939-2018) established McAlpine Ancient Art Limited in 1972. From 1977, they occupied premises in Brook Street, London, and the business moved to The Vale in Chelsea after their divorce in 1990. The business later moved to Winchester, Hampshire, before closing ca. 2001.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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Cite this page
"Portrait Bust of a Woman | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=83.31