Colosseum

Della Porta Giovanni Battista

(Porlezza c. 1542 - Rome 1597)

The facial features reproduce the facial features of the Emperor Vespasian, with greater attention paid to the upper part of the face, where the bald head, the characteristic wrinkles on the forehead and the eyebrow arches are found, while the lower part has features that are almost the same throughout the series.

The bust is part of the series of the “Twelve Caesars” belonging to the sculptor Giovan Battista della Porta, whose collection, purchased by Pope Paul V, was displayed in the Villa Pinciana from 1615, first on wooden stools, then from the end of the 18th century in niches in the walls.

Della Porta himself is also credited with executing the series, in the last quarter of the 16th century.

Object details