Portrait Head of Emperor Lucius Verus

Place of OriginLikely Turkey

Date161-169 CE

Dimensions14 1/4 × 10 1/2 × 10 1/4 in. (36.3 × 26.6 × 26 cm)

MediumFine-grained, ivory-colored marble from Dokimeion (Afyon), with low translucency and slightly darker mottling.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1976.20

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionThe head is carved in white fine-grained marble with a light brown patina and some grey discoloration. It is broken at the neck, and the nose is missing from the bridge down. Additional minor damage includes chips on the lips and beard, abrasions on the face and ear, and scattered surface scratches. Some of the curls and central beard locks are broken. The marble surface has weathered to a granular texture, though traces of polish remain, particularly on the left side of the neck. The face is smoothly modeled and contrasts with the thick, deeply drilled curls of hair and beard. The hair is arranged in roughly parallel rows from front to back, with three small pointed locks above the forehead. The beard consists of corkscrew curls, and the drilling stops behind the ears, indicating frontal viewing. A polished protruding lump of marble at the back of the neck served as a support for attachment to a statue or bust, a feature common in Asia Minor sculpture.

Label TextKnown for his self-indulgence and a weak administration, Lucius Verus (130–169 CE, ruled 161–169 CE) was overshadowed by his extremely popular adopted brother Marcus Aurelius. The two shared imperial power for eight years in the first joint administration in the history of the Roman Empire. Verus modeled his portrait on that of his greatly admired co-ruler with its curly hair and long beard. However, Verus’ portraits are distinguished by the three small pointed locks located along his hairline. In fact, Verus was so proud of his light-colored hair that he reportedly sprinkled gold dust into his locks to enhance their luster. Toledo’s portrait of Lucius Verus (1976.20) is carved from the same type of marble as its Venus companion (1976.21), suggesting they may have originated from the same site. Ongoing research continues to investigate their provenance and historical context.Published References

Toledo Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collections, Toledo, 1976, repr. p. 13.

"Treasures for Toledo," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol. 19, nos. 2, 3, 1976, p. 51, repr.

"La Chronique des Arts," Gazette des Beaux-Arts, vol. 89, no. 1298, March 1977, repr. p. 39, no. 160.

Gazda, Elaine K., "Venus and a Roman Emperor," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, no. 20, no. 2, 1978, pp. 43-55, repr. fig. 1, 10, 11, 12.

"La Chronique des Arts," Gazette des Beaux-Arts, vol. XCI, no. 1318, Nov. 1978, p. 13, repr. fig. 18.

Wegner, Max, and Unger, Reinhard, “Verzeichnis der Kaiserbildnisse von Antoninus Pius bis Commodus II,” Boreas: Münstersche Beiträge zur Archäologie, vol. 3, 1980, pp. 61-62.

Vermeule, Cornelius, Greek and Roman sculpture in America, Berkeley, 1981, p. 335, repr.

Albertson, Fred C., "A Bust of Lucius Verus in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and its Artist," American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 87, no.2, April 1983, p. 158, 159, no. 31.

Ramage, Nancy H. and Andrew, Roman Art, Romulus to Constantine, Englewood Cliffs, 1991, p. 200, fig. 8.10.

Brilliant, Richard, "Hairiness: A matter of style and substance in Roman portraits," Studies in the History of Art, vol. 43, 1993, pp. 306, 309, 310, fig. 6, p. 307.

Brilliant, Richard, Commentaries on Roman art: selected studies, London, Archetype Publications, 2002, p. 232, 235, 239, n. 4, fig. 5.

Knudsen, Sandra E., Craine, Clifford, and Tykot, Robert H., “Analysis of Classical Marble Sculptures in the Toledo Museum of Art,” in Herrmann, John J. Jr., Herz, Norman, and Newman, Richard, eds., ASMOSIA 5: Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone, (London: Archetype Publications, 2002), 235, no. 4, fig. 5.

Ramage, Nancy H. and Andrew, Roman art: Romulus to Constantine, 4th ed., Upper Saddle River, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005, p. 246, fig. 8.13 and half-title page.

Vermeule, Cornelius, "Roman Imperial persons in North America," The Celator, vol. 17, no. 12, Dec. 2003, p. 30.

Vermeule, Cornelius, "Faces of Empire (Julius Caesar to Justinian) pt. IV," The Celator, vol. 19, no. 12, Dec. 2005, p. 26, 36, fig. 18, p. 35.

Ramage, Nancy H. and Andrew Ramage, Roman Art: Romulus to Constantine, 6th ed., Upper Saddle, NJ, Pearson, 2015, pp. 260-262, repr. p. 261.

Exhibition History

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology; Roman portraiture: ancient and modern revivals, 1977, no. 7, p. 22, repr.

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. 1987.

New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery; San Antonio Museum of Art; Raleigh, North Carolina Museum of Art, I Clavdia: Women in ancient Rome, 1996-1997, no. 29, p. 73-74, repr.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Wegner, Max, Die Herrscherbildnisse in antoninischer Zeit. Das Römische Herrscherbild II, Abteilung Band 4, Archäologisches Institut des Deutschen Reiches, Berlin, Verlag Gebr. Mann, 1939, tafs. 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46.

cf. Richter, Gisela M.A., Roman Portraits, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1948, no. 81.

cf. Felletti Maj, Bianca Maria, Museo Nazionale Romano, I Ritratti, MInistero della Pubblica Istruzione, Direzione Generale delle Antichità E Belle Arti, Cataloghi dei Musei E Gallerie d'Italia, Rome, La Libreria dello Stato, 1953, p. 114, no. 223, fig. 223.

cf. Milkovich, MIchael, Roman Portraits, Worcester, Worcester Art Museum, 1961, p. 54-55, no. 23.

cf. Hanfmann, George M.A., Roman Art, Greenwich, 1964, p. 97, no. 83.

cf. Becatti, Giovanni, The Art of Ancient Greece and Rome, New York, 1967, pp. 343-348.

cf. Vermeule, Cornelius C., Roman Imperial Art in Greece adn Asia Minor, Cambridge, 1968, p. 283-288.

cf. Pousen, Vagn, Les Portraits Romains, vol. II, De Vespasien à la Basse-Antiquité, Publications de la Glyptothéque Ny Carlsberg, no. 8, Copenhagen, 1974, p. 105-106, nos. 90, pl. CL-CLI, 91, pl. CLII-CLIII, and 92, pl. CLIV-CLV.

cf. Inan, Jane and Elisabeth Rosenbaum, Roman and Early Byzantine Portrait Sculpture in Asia Minor, London, 1966, pp. 79-80, cat. no. 50, pl. XXXII 1-2.

cf. Blümel, Carl, Römische Bildnisse, Berlin, Statliche Museen, 1933, p. 32, cot. nos. R76 and R77, taf. 49 and 50.