Bust of the Empress Livia

Bust of the Empress Livia, made from white marble. The face is turned to the left, the eyes are prominent with the eye lids crisply curved and sharp brows. The ears are pierced for metal earrings. The hair is arranged in a wide and flat nodus, tapering into a braid that runs over the crown to the bun and which is divided into two and has a raised section in the middle. This type of Livia's representation has been identified as the Marbury Hall one. Livia wears the stola, a long sleeveless thick fabric worn by respectable matrons who were legally married to Roman citizens. The stola was not worn to indicate social hierarchy but to emphasise her moral qualities such as chastity, modesty and obedience. As it was a thick cloak it help to deflect the make gaze and to protect the wearer's body.