Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait Bust of the Empress Claudia Octavia

Date: 50–70 CE
Medium: marble
Culture: Italy, Roman
Department: Greek and Roman Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 108312

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

This portrait bust depicts a young woman whose idealized features and elaborate hairstyle may identify her as the empress Claudia Octavia (r. AD 54-62), unfortunate first wife of the notorious emperor Nero. Over her tunic she wears a stola , a long garment hanging from both shoulders and distinguishing her as a married, upper-class woman. Although beloved by the Roman citizenry and described by the historian Tacitus as “aristocratic and virtuous,” Octavia was eventually divorced and banished by Nero, then ordered put to death. The complex coiffure includes four elements: parted waves (top), tight curls (sides), hanging ringlets (shoulders, back), and a braided knot (back).

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Provenance & credit

As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.

Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Provenance: ?-1925: Bruno Tartaglia, Rome, Italy, through Harold Parsons, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 1925-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH