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Marble bust of the Emperor Commodus (AD 180-192): GR.1.2016

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Marble bust of the Emperor Commodus (AD 180-192)

Entities

Categories

Description

Marble bust of the Roman Emperor Commodus (AD 180 - 192). A Roman marble portrait bust of the Emperor Commodus c. 191-192 AD. Over-life sized, finely sculpted, with sereneexpression gazing to the right, the heavy, hooded eyes with articulated pupils and finely carved curving brows above, his full lips above a thick, incised moustache, his luxurious beard with heavy drill work to accentuate the curls, his hair with similar drill work at the front, the back with thick undrilled curls, his ears thick with prominent earlobes, wearing a paludamentum over a tunic carved with heavy u-shaped folds below his neck, vertical folds over his left shoulder, and fastened on his right shoulder with a circular brooch, quartered within a raised border.

Notes

History note: Cardinal Alessandro Albani (1692-1779); Lieutenant-General Charles Churchill (1679-1745), acquired from the Cardinal on a visit to Rome in July 1731. Gifted to Sir Robert Walpole, later first Earl of Orford (1676-1745) for the terms and consoles of the Stone Hall at Houghton, and by descent to David, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.

Legal notes

Accepted in lieu of Inheritance tax from Lord Cholomondeley by H.M. Governement and allocated to The Fitzwilliam Museum.

Place(s) associated

  • Rome ⪼ Italy

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Allocated (2016) by H.M. Government

Dating

180 CE - 192 CE

Components of the work

Bust composed of marble Width 27 in
Head And Neck Height 15 in
Excluding Socle Height 26.5 in
Including Socle Height 32 in

Techniques used in production

Drilling
Carving

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: GR.1.2016
Primary reference Number: 209386
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Wednesday 3 August 2016 Updated: Thursday 23 March 2023 Last processed: Tuesday 13 June 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Antiquities

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Marble bust of the Emperor Commodus (AD 180-192)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/209386 Accessed: 2024-11-03 09:45:58

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/209386 |title=Marble bust of the Emperor Commodus (AD 180-192) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-03 09:45:58|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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