Bust of a Young Roman at The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

myminifactory

This portrait was formerly believed to depict Marcus Junius Brutus, a stalwart republican and one of the perpetrators of Julius Caesar's assassination. However, the large scale of the bust, its plasticity of forms, and the ability to single out key details reveal that the portrait dates back to the 2nd century AD, during Emperor Trajan's reign (97-117). Its stylistic similarities with portraits of Trajan himself are striking. Trajan was hailed as "the best emperor" by the senate and implemented a policy of expanding Roman territories in Europe and Asia. Within Rome itself, the terror had subsided. According to Pliny the Younger, Trajan never forgot that he ruled men, not gods. In private life, he remained humble and approachable, earning the admiration of his contemporaries who felt as though they had returned to the days of Republican Rome. The restoration of old traditions was evident in the attempt to revive the simplicity and severity of republican portraits.