Height: 202 cm (79 1/2 in.)

Marble, probably from the Greek island of Paros

Classification: Sculpture

This is most likely a portrait statue of Sabina, wife of Emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117-138). The standing figure is modelled on a fourth century B.C. statue that, in conjunction with portrait heads, became popular for representing mature women, particularly in the second century A.D. She is clad in a long chiton with a himation or cloak drawn around her body and up over her head. Her hair is pulled back and twisted into a coil wrapped about the head into a knot in front.

The statue is in excellent condition with only several minor chips.

Scientific Analysis:
Harvard Lab No. HI745: Isotope ratios - delta13C +1.69 / delta18O -3.45, Attribution - Paros 2, Justification - grayish, coarse grained marble and only Paros 2 likely in Western Mediterranean.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Classical Department Exchange Fund, 1979
Accession number: 1979.556

Provenance/Ownership History: By 1979: with Fritz Bürki, Zurich, Switzerland (said to have been in an aristocratic family collection in Bavaria); purchased by MFA from Fritz Bürki (Robert E. Hecht acting as agent), November 14, 1979. Deaccessioned September 21, 2006 for transfer to the Republic of Italy.

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