ITEM: Bust head of a woman MATERIAL: Marble CULTURE: Sold as Roman by Royal Athena Galleries and as 19th Century or earlier by Bonhams DIMENSIONS: 285 mm (without stand) CONDITION: Good condition. Includes stand. PROVENANCE: Ex Bonhams, Ex English private collection, acquired in 1980s from Royal Athena Galleries, NY, United States. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export license If you bid outside the European Union and win the item, we will have to apply for an export licence for your country and shipping will take 3 to 5 weeks. During the turbulent transition into the third century A.D., Roman portraiture underwent a profound stylistic shift, moving away from idealized classical forms toward a raw, psychological realism. As the Roman Empire faced mounting political instability, economic crises, and external pressures, artists began focusing intensely on the inner life and emotional weight of their subjects. In female portraiture, this manifested as a striking balance between traditional elegance and a quiet, solemn intensity. The smooth carving of marble skin was increasingly contrasted with deeply drilled, highly textured hair, a technique that created play with light and shadow to reflect the gravity of the era. This artistic evolution is epitomized by the powerful female figures of the Severan dynasty, most notably Empress Julia Domna. As the Syrian-born wife of Septimius Severus, she wielded immense political and cultural influence, and her portraits served as a template for imperial propaganda and high fashion. Julia Domna popularized a highly distinctive hairstyle: thick, heavy, helmet-like waves that framed the face and were gathered into a large, braided bun at the back of the head. Elite women throughout the empire quickly emulated this look, making the structured, deeply grooved waves a hallmark of early third-century portrait sculpture. These portraits projected an image of maternal strength, intellectual depth, and dynastic stability during a time of constant transition. By the reign of Severus Alexander, the last emperor of the Severan dynasty, the visual language of female portraits shifted once more to reflect changing political dynamics. The influence of powerful imperial women remained strong, but the hairstyles evolved into flatter, more tightly coiffed configurations. The massive, padded wigs of the Julia Domna era gave way to simpler, more natural hair parted down the center and drawn tightly back, or braided into flat bands pinned to the back of the crown. Sculptors of this period increasingly relied on subtle incisions rather than deep drilling for the hair, focusing their artistic energy on conveying a serene, introspective, and sometimes melancholic gaze that characterized the twilight of the Severan golden age.