Sculpture “Portrait of a Roman woman”
 
Author unknown 
Date of production 3rd quarter of the 3rd century 
Dimensions height: 32 cm 
ID no. MNK-XI-A-888 
Museum The National Museum in Kraków 
Oddział The Princes Czartoryski Museum 
Subjects sculpted 
Technique sculpture, forging 
Material marble 
Acquired date 1909, donated by Edward Goldstein 
Object copyright The National Museum in Kraków 
Digital images copyright public domain 
Digitalisation RDW MIC, Małopolska's Virtual Museums project 
Tags rzeźba, portret, Rzym, popiersie, 3D, 3D plus, domena publiczna 
The portrait of a head comes from a bust of a Roman woman who lived in the mid–3rd century. With a realistic expression of facial features, it depicts a middle-aged woman. The big eyes looking straight and thin, slightly tight lips suggest a firm character. The cheeks are fleshy but with visible zygomatic bones; the jaw is massive, with a clearly marked full chin. The hairdo expresses the fashion at the time, referring to a hairstyle introduced by Julia Domna, the wife of Emperor Septimius Severus. The hairdo is smooth, with strands made with linearly shallow notches, parted in the middle and swept-back, showing the ears. The thinly braided strands, pinned up on the back of the head create “a net” of a rectangular shape, reaching 2/3 of the height of the head. The origin of the sculpture is not known; however, the good quality of the portrait suggests Italy.
Elaborated by Dorota Gorzelany, PhD (The National Museum in Kraków), © all rights reserved