CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

This fine bust most likely depicts Diana or a nymph, such as Aura. She has an oval face with a peaked forehead, smooth brows, large eyes with naturalistic upper lids, a slender nose and bow-shaped lips. Her elaborate hair is center parted and pulled back over the tops of her ears, with some strands tied in a loose top-knot, the rest falling in a thick ponytail in back. Her long neck shows subtle Venus rings. The bust is nude, exposing her right breast, while the diagonal edge to the right along shows a hint of drapery. The underside is finished so that it could be joined to a separately-carved statue.
The type is known in white marble from a restored late Hellenistic original at Nostell Priory (pl. 100 in D. Boschung and H. von Hesberg, Die antiken Skulpturen in Newby Hall sowie in anderen Sammlungen in Yorkshire). The authors note that three other replicas exist, all composite statues made from colored marbles for the draped bodies and white marble for the flesh. The bust presented here was once most likely joined to a body of darker material, such as bigio morato, as seen for the figure of Matidia as Aura from the Roman theater at Sessa Aurunca (no. 23 in M. De Nuccio and L. Ungaro, I marmi colorati della Roma imperiale).