Drusus Germanicus in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, October 2009

Portrait of a man (Drusus Germanicus?)

Roman, Imperial Period, about A.D. 30, reworked about A.D. 33

Dimensions: Height: 37.5 cm (14 3/4 in.)

Medium or Technique: Marble, possibly from the Greek island of Paros

Classification: Sculpture

Catalogue Raisonné: Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 331; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 114 (additional published references).

Accession Number: 1971.393

Bust of a Julio-Claudian man. The original subject of this bust was probably the imperial prince Drusus Germanicus, brother of the Emperor Caligula. Portraits of Drusus Germanicus show him with a hairstyle that has locks curving out from a central fork with a small 'pincer' lock on the right corner of the hairline and none on the left. Originally, this hairstyle was present here; however, the hair above the forehead has been chiseled away by someone using both a pointed and a toothed chisel. The new face bears some resemblance to the Emperor Claudius in its oval shape and also the Emperor Caligula in terms of its unusual characteristic of having the hair combed back instead of forward and down from the crown of the head. A number of Roman portraits were recarved in antiquity, particularly of individuals who had fallen out of imperial favor.

The neck, which has been broken across the front, was worked for insertion in a draped (or draped and cuirassed) statue or bust. The ears are chipped, and the crown of the head has been damaged slightly. Otherwise, allowing for the alterations mentioned in the description below, the head is in excellent condition, with an irregular but attractive yellow patina.

Text from: www.mfa.org/collections/object/portrait-of-a-man-drusus-g...