White Marble Bust Depicting The Young Augustus Octavian Italy, Second Half Of The 19th Century

This bust belongs to the refined 19th-century production associated with the Grand Tour and depicts Augustus Octavian as a young man, following a classical iconographic model particularly admired by European travellers and collectors.

The most relevant comparison is not the Augustus of Prima Porta, but the celebrated bust of the Young Octavian preserved in the Vatican Galleries, an ancient model from which numerous copies and interpretations were produced between the late 18th and 19th centuries. As in the Vatican example, the face is idealized, youthful and composed; the hair is carved in orderly, finely incised locks, while the severe and silent expression evokes the official image of Caesar’s young heir, destined to become Augustus.

This white marble example, datable to the second half of the 19th century, interprets the antique model with the learned and decorative taste typical of works intended for aristocratic interiors, libraries and antique collections during the Grand Tour period.

Please note the natural marble patina, the loss/restoration to the nose, and the broken and fixed/restored base, all visible in the photographs and part of the work’s conservation history.