Colossal portrait head of the emperor Hadrian, made of pentelic marble. It was found in Athens. The emperor wears a wreath of oak leaves that end above his forehead in a medallion representing an eagle. The holes in the hoop of the wreath were used to inlay golden leaves.
Height 0,55 m.
Source www.namuseum.gr/collections/sculpture/roman/roman08-en.html
More than 175 portraits of the emperor Hadrian survive from antiquity. Most fall into seven clearly recognised types. One type is created to commemorate his arrival at the head of the Roman Empire but also over the course of his reign (the 10 and 20 year anniversary) or to celebrate his returns to Rome from his numerous travels across the provinces.
1 thought on “Marble, colossal portrait head of the emperor Hadrian, found in Athens, AD 130-138, National Archaeological Museum of Athens”