Posthumous portrait head of the Emperor Claudius

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ruled the Roman Empire from 41 to 54. This portrait was probably part of a cult statue of the newly deceased, then deified, Claudius. With hundreds of only slightly varying portraits spread across the empire, Roman subjects could easily identify their former Emperor. This finely detailed head made of Greek marble was probably inserted onto an over-life-size, draped statue that wore the characteristic Roman toga. The full statue might have been one of a series of Roman emperors specially commissioned for a public building or to be placed alongside statues of other members of the imperial family in a religious dedication. It could also have been produced for a more private setting. Although minor damage has occurred to the back of the head and to the side of the face and nose, the work is in good condition, without later repair and not over cleaned or recarved.

A scholar and an author, Claudius was an unlikely successor to his infamous nephew Caligula. Claudius was notably responsible for expanding and diversifying the Roman Empire, annexing Thrace, Judea and Mauretania, and conquering Britannia. He granted citizenship to retiring soldiers, no matter their country or station of birth, and upheld the rights of cultural minorities such as the Jews within the Empire.