Portrait of Livia in the Walters Art Museum, September 2009

Portrait of Livia


Creator: Roman (Artist)

Period: 37-31 BC (late Republican)

Medium: Pentelic marble (Sculpture)

Accession Number: 23.211

Measurements: 18 1/2 x 9 7/16 x 12 3/16 in. (47 x 24 x 31 cm)

This portrait of Livia was created not long after her marriage to Emperor Augustus. As the first empress of Rome, Livia wanted her public image to embody all the virtues that the Romans valued in a woman, including "pudicita" (modesty) and "pietas" (respect). She also set a new fashion with her innovative nodus hairstyle, in which a section of hair is arranged in a roll over the forehead, while the rest of the hair is swept back in loose waves and secured in a bun at the nape of the neck.

Text from: art.thewalters.org/detail/16696/portrait-of-livia/