Augustus of Prima Porta Bust — Rosso & White Marble, After Antique

A two-tone marble bust of the young Augustus, carved after the celebrated Augustus of Prima Porta — the first Roman emperor, whose 1st-century original was unearthed in 1863 at the Villa of Livia and now stands in the Vatican's Braccio Nuovo. The idealized head is worked in white statuary marble, with the emperor's diagnostic cap of layered locks combed forward over the brow set above smooth, lidded eyes and a calm, youthful expression. The contrast of the pale head against the warm rosso cuirass is the defining feature of the piece.

The breastplate is carved in low relief from rosso marble, reproducing the famous Prima Porta iconography: at center, the exchange of a Roman military standard — the episode commemorating Augustus's recovery of the legionary eagles from Parthia in 20 BC — flanked by a charioteer with a spoked wheel, a winged personification, and seated captive figures along the lower register. Articulated shoulder pteruges with figural cartouches and giallo-toned epaulettes complete the armor, the colored stone shot through with natural white calcite veining. The bust rests on a turned, stepped socle of black marble. The same white-head-and-colored-cuirass format is produced today by Italian and decorative-trade workshops, placing this firmly as a handsome work after the Antique rather than a period sculpture.

CONDITION
Good, no remarkable damage. Presents with strong polychrome contrast and crisp relief carving across the cuirass. A fine network of surface crazing and natural calcite veining runs through the rosso marble torso, consistent with the colored stone.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall (H × W × D): 24" × 14¾" × 8"
• Weight: 94.6 lb
• Head: white statuary marble
• Cuirass: rosso marble
• Shoulder/epaulette accents: giallo marble
• Socle: black marble