Portrait of Septimius Severus

Portrait of Septimius Severus restored on a modern bust. The head is slightly over life-size and derives from the most common type of the Septimius portrait, the ‘Serapis type’ known from 70 copies of it and with the following characteristics: four corkscrew locks on the forehead, the S type hairline from the temple to the ear and the long bi-parted beard. The head turns to the right with the statue’s gaze, also to the right, a common feature of this type of portrait of the Emperor. The hair on the back is imprecisely rendered, in large, clumsy locks, although greater detail is demonstrated in the front of the hair, the beard and the moustache. The nose, rim of ear, patch on left eyebrow and end of the locks in the beard have been restored. The bust, which appears modern, is unrestored and has been attributed to the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavaceppi.