"Antinous, the Emperor's Beloved: Investigating a Roman Portrait"

"Antinous, the Emperor's Beloved: Investigating a Roman Portrait" is the first exhibition project of its kind for the Museum in its focus on the insights achieved through the close, scientific examination of a single work in the collection. The exhibition centers on the Museum's ancient Roman portrait depicting Antinous, the beautiful youth beloved by the emperor Hadrian. The unexpected discovery in 2011 of traces of gilding on this marble portrait inspired an in-depth examination. The exhibition will share with the Museum's visitors both the methods of our behind-the-scenes research and what we have learned about this complex work of art. The exhibition features works from the Museum's collection as well as loans from the J. Paul Getty Museum, the American Numismatic Society, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology.