Portrait of Drusus (son of Tiberius)

myminifactory

The features of this head closely resemble those of Drusus, son of Roman Emperor Tiberius, who ruled from AD 14 to 37. To consolidate their rule on Cyprus, the Romans used images of the ruler and his family, particularly for the imperial cult that worshipped them as gods. This head is carved in the older local tradition of limestone sculpture but made from marble imported from north-west Turkey. Description A Julio-Claudian prince's marble portrait head, possibly the younger Drusus, son of Emperor Tiberius. Curator's comments This rare sculpture was probably carved on Cyprus by a skilled sculptor familiar with Cypriot traditions of working in limestone but using imported marble. The marble has a slightly greyish tint, resembling Proconnesian marble from the Marmara Sea. The back of the head was never finished and is now partly split away and partly rough-hewn, while the neck is carefully worked to fit a complete statue. The flat planes of the carving suggest that it was made by a sculptor familiar with limestone carving, indicating that it may have been carved in Cyprus alongside other Roman sculptures of imported marble. The portrait displays the characteristics of the younger Drusus (15 BC - AD 23), son of Emperor Tiberius, as shown on his coins. Note the slightly curving nose, arching eyebrows, and hair that falls down low over the forehead. Portraiture played a vital role in establishing the public identity of Rome's first imperial family. The island was more than just a provincial backwater; it was an important hub for natural resources like grain, copper, and timber. Bibliography: Walker S. 1995, Greek and Roman Portraits (London). Smith A H. 1904, Catalogue of Greek Sculpture in the British Museum, vol. 3 (London), no. 1882. Daszewski W.A. 1994, 'Marble Sculptures in Nea Paphos: Cypriot or Imported', in Cypriote Stone Sculpture. Proceedings of the Second International Conference of Cypriote Studies, Brussels-Liège, 17-19 May, 1993 (Brussels-Liège), pp. 153-60.