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Unknown Maker, Roman

Portrait of Agrippina the Younger
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Roman

Culture

Roman

Title

Portrait of Agrippina the Younger

Period

Ancient

Year

ca. 40 CE

Medium

  • Marble (from Paros) head,
  • and 18th-century colored marble bust

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Marble (from Paros) head,
  • and 18th-century colored marble bust

Materials

white marble

Dimensions

Height: 81.6 cm (32 1/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Anonymous gift

Object Number

56.097

Type

  • Sculpture

Publications

  • Journal

Manual / Issue 6: Assemblage

  • Journal

Rethinking the Romans: New Views of Ancient Sculpture

Exhibition notes ; No. 13. Contributions by: Georgina E. Borromeo, Kent Severson, Mary Hollinshead, Crispin Corrado Goulet. Alt Author: Borromeo, Georgina.

  • Books

Classical Sculpture

  • Books

Selected Works

Articles

Peregrinations of a Portrait and the Legacy of Agrippina the Younger

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

Agrippina (15-59 CE), the subject of this portrait, was related to four different Roman emperors: she was granddaughter to Augustus, sister to Caligula, mother to Nero, and niece and later wife to Claudius. It is therefore not surprising that many portraits of her survive. They invariably depict her with a broad forehead, a square jaw, large eyes, thin lips, and a sharp chin,? all features shared by many members of e imperial family.

Ancient pieces were sometimes combined with other sculptural elements to create β€œnew” composite sculptures. This ancient portrait head was inserted into a bust composed of different-colored marble in the 18th century.

Rethinking the Romans
New Views of Ancient Sculpture
Apr 06, 2001 β€“ Jan 02, 2009

Label copy

Agrippina the Younger (AD 15 - 59) was a powerful woman: the sister, wife, and mother to three different emperors. According to ancient authors, Agrippina's brother Caligula sent her into exile for involvement in a conspiracy in AD 39. Her uncle Claudius recalled her from banishment and married her in AD 49. Agrippina is said to have poisoned Claudius so that her son Nero might become emperor. The empress ruled in Nero's name while he was young, but he eventually turned against her, ordering assassins to murder her. While Agrippina is said to have written an autobiography, it has not survived. Her portraits provide the only remaining clues as to how she wished to be represented during her lifetime. These depict her with a slightly protruding upper lip and chin that are reminiscent of Caligula's portraits. Of the RISD version, only the head is ancient.

Raid the Icebox 1 with Andy Warhol
Apr 23, 1970 β€“ Jun 30, 1970

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Roman
Portrait of Agrippina the Younger, ca. 40 CE
Marble (from Paros) head, and 18th-century colored marble bust
Height: 81.6 cm (32 1/8 inches)
Anonymous gift 56.097

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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