Bearded Man, Possibly Emperor Macrinus

This subject’s furrowed brow and close-cropped hair, rendered with simple chisel marks, place this portrait in the third century, a time of prolonged political upheaval, when Roman emperors were proclaimed by the military rather than the Senate. The head seems to resemble coin portraits of Macrinus (r. 217–18), who was emperor for eighteen months before he was deposed (see coin 31). Although ancient sculptures often lack noses and other parts prone to breaking when the statues fall, the damage to the eyes and nose here appears to be deliberate and may be the result of a damnatio memoriae. Declared an enemy of the Roman people, disgraced rulers such as Macrinus had their names removed from inscriptions and their images defaced. Such mutilation, which does not completely destroy the likeness, draws attention to the act of censure.