A Roman Marble Portrait Head of Julia Titi

Flavian Period, Circa 80-85 A.D.

Height 10 1/2 inches (26.7 cm).

Property from a Private West Coast Collection

Provenance:

Private Collection, Europe, acquired in the 1980s.

Christie's, New York, Antiquities, 8 June 2007, Lot 170.

Private Collection, Westlake Village, California.

Royal Athena Galleries, New York, 2015 (Art of the Ancient World, Vol. XXVI, p. 11, no. 10).

Born to the highest echelons of the Flavian imperial family, Julia Flavia, more commonly known as Julia Titi, was the daughter of the emperor Titus (39 – 81 A.D.). She held an exalted position as such and was one of the very few women of the imperial family to wear a diadem in official numismatic portraiture. After the death of her patrician husband and later that of her father, she was integrated into the household of her paternal uncle Domitian, then emperor. Salacious (and likely apocryphal) accounts by detractors of her uncle report that she became his mistress and tragically died in her early 30s as a result of pregnancy from this alleged union.

Julia Titi was a famous beauty, and her portraits are the most attractive of the Flavian women. Surviving portraits of the princess, such as this one, bear this out. Here, her features are idealized, with a delicate heart-shaped face, large almond-shaped eyes, full lips with pronounced ‘cupid’s bow’, and serene brow. The Flavian hairstyle pioneered by her mother - a halo of curls over the brow, with deep drilling - is most appealing here: elegant, flattering, and more restrained. At the rear, what would have been a voluminous braided bun is summarily rendered. This example has most in common with the best-known of Julia Titi’s portraits now in the Museo Nazionale delle Terme in Rome.

Inspected under UV light and 10x loupe. Regions of possible restoration including nose which flouresces under UV light. Areas of heavy encrustation particularly on the rear and neck of head. Gouges, abrasians, and pitting consistent with age. Mineral deposits in crevices of curls. Weathered surface with areas of uneven orange/brown patination. Some notable chips on nose and ears. Rests on stand via metal rod to which it is not affixed. Stand itself uneven on one corner. Height with stand 14 3/4 inches (37.5 cm). Overall in fine and attractive condition. See additional images.

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Antiquities & Ancient Art

A Roman Marble Portrait Head of Julia Titi

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