The subject of this portrait modeled herself after Faustina Minor, the daughter of the Emperor Antoninus Pius and Faustina Major (the Elder). Her hair is parted simply in the centre, brushed in gentle scalloped waves over her head and upswept into a loose circular braided bun at the back of her head, with two small curls falling onto the back of her neck. The sitter's visage is smooth and unwrinkled, making her appear ageless. Her lidded eyes with drilled pupils with a small mouth are features typical of the 2nd century.
According to Kleiner (Roman Sculpture, p. 277), "female portraiture under the Antonines both resembles and departs from contemporary male portraiture." Their facial features follow the trends of the male portraits, however, while the men are portrayed with deeply drilled full hair, the women's coiffures are carved in the classicizing style of Hadrian's wife Sabina. Furthermore, Kleiner notes that during this period, portraiture developed a close likeness to the smooth physiognomy and sectioned hairstyles associated with the Augustan period. Such distinctive features represented the female ideals of womanhood, beauty and virtue.
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