Portrait Head of Agrippina the Younger

Roman writers characterized the Roman empress Agrippina the Younger (A.D. 15 - 59) as a scheming power-hungry woman. Born into the extended Imperial family, a sister of the emperor Caligula, Agrippina increased her power and status by marrying her uncle Claudius, the reigning emperor, in A.D. 48. She urged her new husband to make Nero, her son by a previous marriage, the heir to the throne. He agreed and in A.D. 54, Claudius died. It was rumored that his wife had poisoned him. She wielded extensive political power in the early reign of her son, who was only 17 years old when he took the throne. By A.D. 59, however, Nero was tired of his meddling mother and had her killed.

Portraits of Agrippina were produced during the reigns of the emperors Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. They fit an overall style used for depicting the reigning Julio-Claudian dynasty. Although the portraits of the male members of the dynasty became more naturalistic over time, the women retain an ageless, classicizing style enlivened by elaborate coiffures. Agrippina is distinguished by her narrow face, dimpled chin, and protruding upper lip. She wears her hair parted in the middle and pulled back, with tight curls surrounding her face.