What furrowed brows, piercing eyes, and thin, tightly sealed lips! This portrait’s stern expression embodies the austere values of the Roman Republic, which lasted from the fifth century until the late first century B.C. Before then, patrician clans had long preserved images—essentially death masks—of their ancestors in their homes. Roman Republican portraiture developed out of that tradition. Instead of the youthful images favored by the Hellenistic kings, the Roman ruling class preferred sober, realistic portraits. Notice how the bone structure of this head is carefully modeled, and how the heavy jowls are deeply etched with wrinkles. If you walk around the bust, you’ll see rolls of flesh at the back of the neck. You’ll also get a better feel for the closely cropped, military hairstyle.

The Roman Republic called for old-fashioned morality, responsible public bearing, and courage on the battlefield. Prestige came as the result of age and experience. These values were expressed in realistic portraits of grim-faced, middle-aged men, like the one you see here. This particular portrait head was actually made in the later Julio-Claudian period, at a time when there was a revival of interest in Republican portraiture.