Portrait of Marcus Aurelius as a young man

myminifactory

This is a replica of a youthful Marcus Aurelius bust, now housed at the Capitoline Museums (Inv. Scu 279). The sculpture ends abruptly below the chest and is dressed in a traditional tunic and military cloak (paludamentum).\r\nThe portrait belongs to the so-called "first type", known from approximately twenty-five copies and likely created soon after AD 139, when the prince took on the title of "Caesar".\r\nBusts with paludamentum were popular during the Antonine period, while the use of a thin line to indicate the pupil without using a drill hole is unique.\r\nThis youthful portrait became the model for private portraits and official youth portraits of Caracalla (see KAS1234).\r\nThe face, turned towards the right, showcases typical features of a young future Emperor: very smooth and firm facial planes, elongated and wide eyes, full and closed lips. The hair is styled in a lively manner with wavy locks that overlap each other on multiple planes and follow the outline of the skullcap; there are unruly locks on his forehead.\r\nIn this case, it might have been intended to associate the two young princes, Caracalla and Marcus Aurelius, in accordance with the politics of Septimius Severus to become part of the Antonine family and legitimize his dynasty.\r\nThe work, possibly created in 139, was probably discovered in Rome.