The large eyes of this bronze portrait of a child seem to stare out at us, as if transfixed. Enhancing this effect are the whites of his eyes inlaid with silver, and the irises made of copper. His cheeks are round and soft, and his chin is delicately defined. This boy can be no more than four or five years old.

Representations of children were not uncommon in the Roman Imperial period. However, they’re usually made of marble or of less expensive materials. A portrait of one so young as this boy, in a material so costly as bronze, is highly unusual! This bust is surely a portrait of an especially wellborn child. It was never part of a statue, but was affixed to a pedestal of wood or marble much as you see it displayed here. The portrait bust is, in fact, a Roman phenomenon.

Notice the gracefully coiled locks on the crown of the child’s head. His hair is rather long—curling over the ears—but neatly trimmed in the front. This hairstyle and the child’s protruding ears are features well-known from portraits of the Julio-Claudian family, particularly during the reigns of the Emperors Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius in the first century A.D. In fact, scholars have suggested that the sitter for this bronze bust was the young Nero, who succeeded Claudius as emperor in 54 A.D. However, unless a portrait is inscribed, it’s difficult to identify children of the Julio-Claudian family since they tend to all look somewhat alike.