Bust of a Roman emperor, probably Emperor Domitian (r. 81–96 A.D)
18th century
Medium
White jasper
Dimensions
3 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. (9.5 × 6.4 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
British, Etruria, Staffordshire
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1909
Accession Number
09.194.16a
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bust, likely portraying the Roman Emperor Domitian (r. 81–96 A.D.), captures the stern profile of one of ancient Rome's most controversial rulers, known for his authoritarian style and eventual damnatio memoriae by the Senate. Crafted in the 18th century Josiah Wedgwood, the British potter from Staffordshire's Etruria factory, exemplifies the neoclassical revival that swept Europe. Visitors admire how Wedgwood drew from excavated Roman antiquities, blending historical reverence with innovative craftsmanship. Made of white jasper—a fine, unglazed stoneware Wedgwood perfected aro...
About the Artist
Josiah Wedgwood · 1730–1795
Josiah Wedgwood (1730–1795) was born in Burslem, Staffordshire, the thirteenth child of a potter whose family had worked in the craft since the seventeenth century. Apprenticed to his elder brother Thomas following their father's death, he went on to a partnership with Thomas Whieldon of Fenton — the most respected potter in England at the time — which gave him command of all the principal techniq...