Bust of Antonia the Younger

As the daughter of Mark Antony, niece of Augustus, sister-in-law of Tiberius, mother of Claudius, and grandmother of Caligula, Antonia (36 BCE–37 CE) was a central member of the imperial court and was only the second woman given the title of Augusta. This head is considered to be one of the most mature representations of Antonia (see coin 12) and may be a copy of the portrait carried during the annual games held on her birthday. The narrow band in her hair may signify her role as priestess of the deified Augustus. This bust was assembled from several parts in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, when it was common to restore ancient sculpture to appear “whole” and therefore more beautiful. The head and two sections of the bust are ancient, although from different originals, while the inscribed left shoulder and the hair on the back of the neck are modern.