Bust of Marcus Aurelius. Italy, XVI century.

Bust of Marcus Aurelius. Italy, XVI century.
White marble, with traces of polychrome.
It presents a slight break in the lower right area of the bust.
Provenance: Private collection of the South of France
Measurements: 52,7 cm (height).

This bust of the young Marcus Aurelius, sculpted in Italy during the 16th century, is a magnificent Renaissance reinterpretation of the Roman imperial portrait. Executed in white marble, with subtle traces of polychrome, it is part of the Renaissance humanist tradition that sought to revive not only the aesthetics, but also the ethical and philosophical ideals of the classical world.

The bust depicts an adolescent Marcus Aurelius or in his early youth, long before he became the emperor-philosopher who would mark the pinnacle of imperial stoicism. The representation is clearly idealized, although not without naturalism. The kinky hair is arranged in anarchic curls, which introduces a restrained vitality, an element of almost Hellenistic dynamism. In this aspect, it moves away from the rigid august codes and reflects rather the mannerist taste of the 16th century, in which archaeological fidelity is mixed with aesthetic license. The face consists of a youthful facial oval, with smooth and beardless skin, which reinforces the identification with an early stage of the character. The almond-shaped eyes, emptied as in the Roman tradition to receive inlays or give symbolic intensity, point to a melancholic or contemplative gaze, a typical feature of philosophical portraits. The straight nose and outlined lips, with a slight parting of the mouth, give the bust a restrained, almost expectant expression, as if it were of a young man in training, both intellectually and politically.

The Italian Renaissance of the 16th century was not so much interested in reproducing ancient art as in giving it new life. At a time when Marcus Aurelius was considered the archetype of the "philosopher prince" (thanks to the manuscript circulation of his Meditations), such portraits conveyed a double intention: political and aesthetic. By depicting Marcus Aurelius as a young man, they allude to the formation of the Stoic character, to the ideal of educated, virtuous and wise youth, so dear to the Renaissance elite.

This bust of the young Marcus Aurelius is a piece of remarkable execution that ingeniously blends archaeological respect with the artistic inventiveness of the Renaissance. It is less a truthful portrait of the emperor than an invocation of his virtues projected in youth: restraint, introspection, natural nobility and intellectual potential.