# Portrait Head of Emperor Hadrian

- By: Ancient Roman
- Date: 130-138
- Medium: Marble
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: 36 × 27.5 × 27.3 cm (14 1/4 × 10 7/8 × 10 3/4 in.)
- Culture: Italy
- Credit line: Katherine K. Adler Memorial Fund
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/58135)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/4ba54d83-416b-92bf-6098-89ffec76a496/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This sculpture depicts Emperor Hadrian (reigned 117–38), identifiable by his luxurious curls and cropped beard. A portrait head embodied the emperor’s authority in his absence, with distinctive hairstyles and facial features that were instantly recognizable throughout the Roman Empire. Hadrian’s beard set him apart from his clean-shaven predecessors and set a trend for imperial portraits until the early 4th century.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0