Home / Artworks / Portrait Head of Emperor Vespasian, Recut from Head of Nero
Portrait Head of Emperor Vespasian, Recut from Head of Nero
Unknown maker (Italy), 64–79 CE
This marble head was made to fit into a statue. When the museum bought it in 1929 it was attached to a body in a toga, but they did not originally belong together, and the two were separated in 1973.
The head was recarved in ancient times from a portrait of Nero into one of Vespasian, after the Senate's damnatio memoriae, the condemnation of Nero's memory. A line at the back of the head shows where Nero's long hair was cut shorter. The Cleveland Museum of Art says other features of Nero remain, such as the receding lower lip.
Reworking a portrait this way saved the cost of new marble and shows how quickly images of rulers could change. The head is about 40 centimetres high and dates between 64 and 79 CE.
From the museum record
| Artist | Unknown maker (Italy) |
|---|---|
| Date | 64–79 CE |
| Medium | Marble |
| Size | Overall: 40 x 21.6 x 24.9 cm |
| Museum | The Cleveland Museum of Art |
| Credit line | Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund |
| Accession number | 1929.998 |
| Licence | Open Access (CC0) |
Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art collection record. Facts such as dates, sizes and credit lines come from that record. The write-up above was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the museum record and standard references. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
