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Roman

Portrait of Agrippina the Younger, ca. 40 CE

Now On View

Description

Maker

Culture

Roman

Title

Portrait of Agrippina the Younger

Year

ca. 40 CE

Medium

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

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Dimensions

Height: 81.6 cm (32 1/8 inches)

Type

Credit

Anonymous gift

Object Number

56.097

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Rethinking the Romans

April 6, 2001 - January 2, 2009

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.

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries

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 “new” composite sculptures. This ancient portrait head was inserted into a bust composed of different-colored marble in the 18th century.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Portrait of Agrippina the Younger with the accession number of 56.097. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.