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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;John Anthony, post: 2323321, member: 42773&quot;]Interesting article. I can definitely believe that the Prima Porta statue is an idealization. The Imperatorial coinage of him as Octavian predates the Prima Porta statue, and it generally shows him with a small head, delicate facial features, and a weak chin, although his nose is quite pointed and strong. Many of the busts are not those of an attractive man. I can certainly see him telling the Prima Porta sculptor to make everything stronger.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps the Spanish minters were also told to copy some idealized version, or told to make the emperor look handsome, and what we&#039;re seeing is their idea of handsome (if they&#039;re depicting him at all).</p><p><br /></p><p>Then there are all the busts which are so stylized that they can&#039;t possibly refer to a real person, at least in my opinion. Some local deity? I went down in flames bidding on this coin tonight - the demand for the really distinctive caricature busts in good grades is quite high...</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]470023[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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