Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bust of Emperor Hadrian as a Young Man

Giovanni Battista Caccini

Date

c. 1590

Medium

Marble

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This bust, with its dense, curly hair and straplike beard and mustache, is a Renaissance interpretation of Roman sculptural portraits believed to represent the emperor Hadrian (reigned 117–38 CE). A great patron of the arts, Hadrian was celebrated in the Renaissance as one of Rome’s “five good emperors.” A famous admirer of Greek culture, he wore a beard and mustache to fashion himself as a Greek philosopher. His example made facial hair chic once again among the Roman elite, and beards remained all the rage for almost a century. Italy, Europe

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