Augustus

This idealised portrait of Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, captures him in his youth. The original, housed in the Vatican’s Pio Clementino Museum, was likely sculpted to promote Augustus as a divinely favoured leader. His calm expression and smooth features reflect the political messaging of the early Empire: order, renewal and continuity. This copy may have been produced for the Grand Tour market, when wealthy European travellers collected classical art to demonstrate their taste and education.