ne of whom they made a bust or statue, they did not hesitate to
idealize that face; but the Romans labored to make an exact likeness of
the man, leaving him in his statue as nothing more than he looked to be.
This manner of portraiture often does great injustice to its model, for
the changing expressions which come with emotions and with conversation
often illuminate the plainest faces with a rare beauty; therefore the
aim of portraiture should be to give the very most and best that can be
imagined as coming to the face which is reproduced.

[Illustration: FIG. 69.--STATUE OF AUGUSTUS.]

I can speak of but a few of the almost numberless Roman portrait
sculptures.

This statue of Augustus was found in 1863 in a villa built by his wife,
Livia, about nine miles from Rome, at Porta Prima. It is a noble work,
and every minute detail of the ornamentation has a force and meaning
that can be explained. At the same time the whole work is full of
strength and dignity, which comes from the character of the man himself,
and is in no sense dependent on all the emblems of his rank and power,
with which the dress is loaded (Fig. 69). This statue is in the Vatican,
and there one can compare it with the exquisite bust known as the "Young
Augustus" and with the statue of the emperor when aged, in which he is
veiled as a priest. The study of these three sculptures, thus
fortunately near each other, is most interesting.

[Illustration: FIG. 70.--AGRIPPINA THE ELDER.]

The Roman women who held important positions were frequently honored
with statues. Among those that remain none is more interesting than this
of the elder Agrippina. She was a woman of great strength and equally
great purity of character, and as we study this statue we can easily
understand that she could perform the duties of a general when occasion
demanded this service, and when that necessity was past could nurse the
sick and wounded with all the tenderness of a true womanly nature. It is
in every way a noble work of art, combining grace, dignity, and the
aristocratic refinement of a high-born lady. The drapery of this and
other similar statues is very beautiful, and fully satisfies all
artistic demands. We have full proof that such garments were in actual
use by the women of Greece and Rome (Fig. 70).

It was not unusual for the great men and women of Rome to be represented
in portrait statues with the attributes of gods and goddesses. Livia
appears as Ceres, Julia