Bust of Vitellius

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Vitellius reigned as Roman Emperor for eight months, from April 16 to December 22 in the year 69 AD. Vitellius rose to power following a rapid succession of previous emperors Galba and Otho, amidst a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Like his direct predecessor Otho, Vitellius attempted to rally public support by honoring and imitating Nero, who remained widely popular in the empire. His claim to the throne was soon challenged by legions stationed in eastern provinces, who proclaimed their commander Vespasian emperor instead. War broke out, leading to a crushing defeat for Vitellius at the Second Battle of Bedriacum in northern Italy. Once Vitellius realized his support was wavering, he prepared to step down in favor of Vespasian. However, his supporters refused to let him do so, resulting in a brutal battle for Rome between Vitellius' forces and Vespasian's armies. He was eventually executed by Vespasian's soldiers on December 22. Typically, Vitellius is depicted as overweight with a thick neck and chin. However, this bust presents him with more flattering features. He wears scaled armor with a mask representing a lion adorning the chestplate. The original bust is made of marbles in striking colors, giving it a rare depth and character. This unusual and sophisticated bust of Vitellius is attributed to Francis Harwood by Annamaria Giusti. The bust is an exact replica of a known model formerly in the Medici collections and exhibited in the Tribuna degli Uffizi for many years. The faithful copying of the model and the use of specialized colored marbles indicate a skilled sculptor who was experienced in copying antique models and had a flair for using different types and colors of marbles. Due to the use of distinctly Tuscan marbles, it is likely that this bust originated in Florence. Assuming the present bust was made on commission, it is plausible that the patron would have turned to the pre-eminent sculptor of antique models most experienced with colored marbles, which at the time was Francis Harwood. This object was scanned during a display of Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art before an auction at Sotheby's. It was reconstructed using around 200 high-resolution images taken with RealityCapture software. The scan was then cleaned and reconstructed using ZBrush. Sources: Sotheby's, Wikipedia