Whom You Know: HEADING HOME: LOST BUST OF ONE OF ROME’S ‘CAESARS’ – GRANDSON OF EMPEROR AUGUSTUS

Thursday, October 24, 2013

HEADING HOME: LOST BUST OF ONE OF ROME’S ‘CAESARS’ – GRANDSON OF EMPEROR AUGUSTUS – RETURNS TO ITALY AFTER BONHAMS SALE

A Roman marble portrait bust of Gaius Caesar sold today at Bonhams Antiquities auction in London for twice its presale estimate - £374,500 – now heads home to Italy with it new owner.

Madeleine Perridge, Head of Antiquities at Bonhams, comments: “It seems so appropriate that this wonderful 2,000 year old bust is returning to its home, where it was once used to bolster the power of Augustus Caesar. The bust is a beautiful piece with a very sad history. It was created just after the death of Lucius, when Gaius was the last grandson and heir remaining. It shows a young man with everything ahead of him, but who tragically dies aged just 23, only two years after the death of his younger brother. His death was a real destruction of everything Augustus had been working towards, trying to preserve his heritage. It tells the story of two lost princes, once presented as heirs who would firm up the dynasty, but then all of a sudden they die.”

Gaius Caesar (20 B.C. -A.D. 4) and his brother Lucius Caesar (17 B.C. - A.D. 2) were the sons of the Emperor Augustus' only child Julia and his close confidant Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. With no sons of his own, the Emperor adopted them in 17 B.C. and they were intended as Augustus' successors. However both these grandsons died young, predeceasing Augustus who died in A.D. 14.

Gaius Caesar died aged just twenty-three in A.D. 4 and during his short life Gaius and his younger brother played extremely important roles in Augustus' political and dynastic plans. Official images of Augustus's grandsons were produced from their childhood and these were deliberately calculated to depict the princes as miniature versions of their illustrious grandfather.

One of a small group of such portraits, the bust being sold by Bonhams, depicts Gaius with his head turned to the right, with finely carved wavy hair falling over the forehead, long sideburns and a short beard. It is thought that Gaius’ sideburns and beard have a military connection, associated with the god of war Ares/Mars and that this bust was made to commemorate Gaius' military success in A.D. 3 at the fall of Artagira in Armenia, where he tragically suffered the wound which was to eventually kill him, aged just twenty-three, only two years after the death of his younger brother.

Bonhams

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com.

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