Portrait bust of Emperor Domitian at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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Domitian (ruling A.D. 81-96), the final member of the Flavian dynasty of Roman emperors, was a younger son of Vespasian (ruling A.D. 69-79) and brother of Titus (ruling A.D. 78-81). Unlike his father and brother, he did not have popular support as a ruler and suffered damnatio memoriae after being assassinated. Despite several marble portraits surviving, including the present example which is one of the finest, Domitian was not well-regarded by senatorial authors such as Tacitus and Suetonius in their early second-century A.D. accounts of his reign. Nevertheless, he was a competent administrator, economist, and military leader who led successful campaigns on multiple fronts, from Scotland to Azerbaijan, and rebuilt Rome after the disastrous fire of A.D. 64. He also completed the construction of the Flavian amphitheater, known as the Colosseum. According to Suetonius, Domitian was the first emperor to assume the titles dominus et deus (lord and divinity) and demand subservience from senators, officials, and citizens alike. His self-aggrandizement and authoritarianism led to his reputation for greed, debauchery, and cruelty, ultimately resulting in his death at the hands of his own courtiers.