Description

The portrait depicts a private citizen. He has the hair and beard that was characteristic of the time of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD). As a great admirer of Greek culture and art, Hadrian had himself depicted with the full beard typical of Greek philosopher portraits.

In the imperial era, contemporary portraits became a mass product. By limiting it to the head in bust format and by reusing and reworking older portraits, it became affordable for many people. The frequent repetition of the imperial portrait's characteristic facial features and hairstyle, even in private portraits, led to the phenomenon of the so-called "time face“: The private portraits resembled the portrait of the reigning emperor or his wife, especially in the design of the hairstyles.