The British Museum
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1st - 4th century AD
Portrait sculptures are one of the great legacies of Roman art. Busts and statues portraying men, women and children from most ranks of society were set up in houses, tombs and public buildings throughout the Roman Empire. Sculptures of emperors and magistrates were often thought to embody personal authority, whereas many of the portraits representing private citizens were intended as memorials to the dead.
A number of portraits, together with examples from Cyrene (eastern Libya) are on display in Room 85.
Erotic images from Greece and Rome, £16.99
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