Ancient Roman statuary at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: MARBLE STATUE OF A MEMBER OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY (Bequest of Bill Blass, 2002)

Speranza

Marble statue of a member of the imperial family
Period: Augustan or Julio-Claudian
Date: 27 B.C.–A.D. 68
Culture: Roman
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: H. 47 in. (199.38 cm) Width: 24 1/2 in. (62.23 cm) Depth: 16 in. (40.63 cm)
Classification: Stone Sculpture
Credit Line: Bequest of Bill Blass, 2002
Accession Number: 2003.407.8a, b
This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 162

This statue and the similar work to the right were probably part of a statuary group portraying and honouring members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty that ruled Rome from the time of Augusto to that of Nerone.

The stance of these partially nude figures brings to mind the canonic works of Policleto, one of the most famous Greek sculptors of the fifth century B.C., and was almost certainly intended to give a heroizing aura to the statues.

It has been argued that the draping of the mantle around the hips and over the arm was a specific iconographic indication that the individual being honored was already deceased.
References:

Milleker, E.
2004. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2003-2004."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 62, pp. 8-9.

Picon, Carlos A., et al. 2007.
Art of the Classical World in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, no. 416, pp. 360, 487.