Bust of Marcus Aurelius

Here Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor from 161–180, is sculpted larger than life-size, a scale typical for Roman emperors. The artist’s skill is noticeable in the delicate hairs of the eyebrows and the dramatic contrast between the richly textured curls and the smooth forehead. This bust served as a souvenir of an antiquity, probably for a northern European visitor to Rome. Marcus Aurelius was particularly revered in 18th-century Europe. He was known as the philosopher emperor, based in part on his personal written reflections on ethics and living in accord with nature.