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. 46 in. (116.84 cm) Width: 25 1/4 in. (64.14 cm) Depth: 14 1/2 in. (36.83 cm)
Classification: Stone Sculpture
Credit Line: Bequest of Bill Blass, 2002
Accession Number: 2003.407.9
This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 162

This statue and the similar work to the left are important additions to the small number of standing half-draped male figures known today that were part of Julio-Claudian dynastic commemorative groups.

Statues of members of the imperial family, both living and already deceased, were often displayed together in public spaces such as the forum of a city, a basilica, or the theater.
References:

Rayner, C. and Schezen, R. 1997.
New York Trends and Traditions.
New York : Monacelli Press, p. 114 (illus.).

Blass, Bill. 2002.
Bare Blass.
New York: Harper Collins, color plate 9, after page 136.

Milleker, E. 2004.
"Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2003-2004." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 62(2): 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. 417, pp. 361, 487.