Portrait Head of Tiberius

This portrait head comes from an over life-size statue of the second Roman emperor, Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (42 BC-37 AD). It replicates a portrait type developed after Tiberius's accession in AD 14, known as the "Copenhagen 624 type". The back of the head, which was made separately, may have included a veil, identifying the emperor as pontifex maximus (chief priest). The statue would have stood in a public space such as a forum, gymnasium or theater.

Although we can assume some resemblance, Tiberius’s official portraiture did not aim to offer a realistic representation of the emperor. Rather, it presented an idealized image that communicated a series of personal virtues and political ideologies, and that followed a model established by Tiberius’s predecessor and adopted father, Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. So, despite Tiberius having become emperor in AD 14 at the age of fifty-six, his portrait is relatively youthful, evoking the calm authority of Classical sculpture. At the same time, Tiberius’s characteristically stern mouth and slightly furrowed brow suggest a mind occupied by the responsibilities of how best to rule. His short hair is brushed forward with short sickle-shaped curls arranged across the forehead, with a fork at the center and two small tangs at the temples. This also alludes directly to portraits of Augustus, thereby emphasizing dynastic continuity.