Portrait of a Young Woman in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Portrait of a Young Woman
Roman, AD 120-130
Marble

Inventory # 72.AA.94

The head of this statue is made from a different kind of marble than that of the body, which is modeled after the Small Herculaneum Woman. In Roman portraiture, separately carved, individualized heads were commonly combined with standard bodies. During the second century AD, the sculptural types of the Herculaneum Women were especially popular for publicly displayed honorific statues of the Roman elite, particularly in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). This figure's braided hairstyle was fashionable during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (ruled 117-138 AD).

Text from the Getty Villa label.