Portrait Head of a Young Woman

Carved of extremely fine marble by a gifted artist, this portrait head presents an elegant, aristocratic young woman. Broken off at the neck, it was once part of a larger statue. The woman’s hair is fashionably arranged. Parted at center and combed in waves over her forehead, the hair is then braided, wrapping around her head like a crown, or diadem. This elaborate hairstyle is in fact reminiscent of those worn by Roman empresses in the second century, a style revived and made fashionable by the female members of the family of Emperor Constantine the Great in the fourth century. In their case, a retrospective, conservative style evoked stability and dynastic succession. For women in Constantinople and elsewhere, the deliberate adoption of historical styles similarly recalled a prosperous and morally upright past.