Portrait of Emperor Nero, Re-Carved as Claudius

Description The nose, lower lip, chin, and ears are modern restorations, but this head also shows signs of re-carving in antiquity on its cheeks and jaw. The deeply cut locks on the back of the head are characteristic of portraits of Nero and were untouched by the later artist. However, the area around the mouth has been reworked, and the deep grooves recall portraits of the emperor Claudius (ruled 41-54 CE), an elderly man when he came to power. It is likely that after Nero's unpopular rule, the portrait was re-carved to resemble his well-liked predecessor, Claudius.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
12/31/1969	Technical Report	x-ray diffraction; other
6/22/1961	Treatment	cleaned
7/06/1970	Treatment	cleaned
7/05/2001	Treatment	cleaned; loss compensation

Provenance Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [no. 31]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902