Part of National Museums Liverpool

Portrait of Severus Alexander

59.148.196

Part of

Ince Blundell collection

About this object

Portrait head of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (AD 222-235) as a very young man . The left side of head was restored by Bartolomeo Cavaceppi. The hair is arranged in characteristic long flat flame-like bi-partite tufts, with a clearly delineated hairline at the front. The head seems to bulge at the rear, the eyes look directly to the right, and the lips are full with the lower slightly swollen in appearance. H.P.L’Orange was the first to suggest that these features represented Severus Alexander’s portrait type. There would appear to be ancient graffiti on the right cheek. The left part of the head with the neck is a restoration (with a crack in it), as is the back of the head and the bust, the nose, ear and chin.

Object specifics

  • Type
    Art
  • Culture
    Roman Imperial
  • Artist/Maker
  • Place made
    Europe: Southern Europe: Italy: Rome
  • Date made
    221 AD - 222 AD
  • Materials
    Marble
  • Location
    Item not currently on display
  • Acquisition
    Gift of Col. Joseph W Weld, 1959
  • Collector
    Henry Blundell
  • Place collected
    Europe: Southern Europe: Italy: Rome
  • Date collected
  • Measurements
    650 mm
  • Related people
    Henry Blundell ( Collector, previous owner); Bartolomeo Cavaceppi ( Previous owner); Joseph William Weld ( Previous owner)

Explore related

Publications

  • A Catalogue of the Ancient Marbles at Ince Blundell Hall

    Ashmole, Bernard

    Author: Ashmole, Bernard
    Publisher: Clarendon Press
    Date: 1929
    Description: An illustrated catalogue of the ancient sculptures collected by Henry Blundell and formerly at Ince Blundell Hall.

  • An Account of the Statues, Busts, Bass Relieves, Cinerary Urns, and other ancient marbles, and paintings at Ince. Collected by H.B.

    Blundell, Henry

    Author: Blundell, Henry
    Publisher:
    Date: 1803
    Description:

  • Ancient Marbles in Great Britain

    Michaelis, A

    Author: Michaelis, A
    Publisher: Cambridge University Press
    Date: 1882
    Description:

  • Historien om en privatsamling

    Southworth, E; Fejfer, J

    Author: Southworth, E; Fejfer, J
    Publisher:
    Date: 1988
    Description:

  • The Ince Blundell Collection of Classical Sculpture. Volume I - the Portraits. Part 2: The Roman Male Portraits

    Fejfer, J

    Author: Fejfer, J
    Publisher: Liverpool University Press
    Date: 1997
    Description:

Ownership

Previous owners

  • Bartolomeo Cavaceppi

    Owned from: Unknown or unrecorded
    How acquired: Unknown or unrecorded
    Owned until: Unknown or unrecorded
    Disposal method: Unknown or unrecorded

  • Joseph William Col Sir Weld

    Owned from: 1958
    How acquired: By descent
    Owned until: 1959
    Disposal method: Donation

  • Henry Blundell

    Owned from: Unknown or unrecorded
    How acquired: Purchased
    Owned until: 1810
    Disposal method: Bequest
Object view = Humanities
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