14 Inches High x 9.5 Inches Wide x 6 Inches Deep
This piece is a portrait of Agrippa (63-12 B.C.E.), the famed general and the son-in-law of the Roman emperor Augustus. This depiction of Agrippa is found in not only sculpture but on items such as coins and cameos, which enabled experts to identify the subject. The prominent eyebrows and deep-set eyes as well as the bone structure secure the portrait’s identity and Agrippa’s character. Our mask likely comes from one of the known marble busts of Agrippa that are in the collections of the Louvre Museum and the Uffizi Gallery. The Louvre’s website explains that its sculpture may be based on the bronze statue of Agrippa in the Pantheon created around 25 B.C.E. The detail of this piece in our collection may be less defined than that of the original sculpture due to a succession of molding and casting. These photos accurately depict the definition of detail for this reproduction.
Artist: Unknown
Museum: Louvre Museum, Paris, and Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
Time Period: Ancient Roman
1911 Catalog ID # – 13461
Sources:
“Molding; statue.” Museum number Gy 1459. Louvre Museum, https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010271539.
“Portrait of Agrippa.” Museum number Inv.1914, n.90. Uffizi Galleries, https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/portrait-of-agrippa.
“Statue en buste.” Museum number Ma 1208.1. Louvre Museum, https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010275365.