Marble Bust of the Roman Emperor Hadrian

Private collection, Newport, Rhode Island

Hadrian Augustus ( 24 January, 76 AD – 10 July, 138 AD) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138 and was born into a Hispano-Roman family.

Hadrian before

Marble Bust of the Roman Emperor Hadrian; Before image of the entire bust before the restoration of the marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman Emperor Hadrian; Before image of the entire bust before the restoration of the marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman Emperor Hadrian; Before image of a gap in the shoulder before the restoration of the marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Marble Bust of the emperor Hadrian; Before image of the shoulder before the restoration of the marble.

He rebuilt the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. He is also known for building Hadrian’s Wall, which marked the northern limit of Britannia. Hadrian was regarded by some as a humanist and was philhellene in most of his tastes.

During restoration

Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Marble Bust of the emperor Hadrian; applying the cleaning solution during the restoration of the marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Hadrian; image of a hole in Hadrian's nose; detail during the restoration of the marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Hadrian; image of a hole in the face of a chest detail during the restoration of the marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Hadrian; Poultice treatment during the restoration of the marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Hadrian; refining the shoulder during the restoration of the marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Hadrian; detail of the dreid poultice during the restoration of the marble.

An ardent admirer of Greece, he sought to make Athens the cultural capital of the Empire and ordered the construction of many opulent temples in the city.

The finished restoration

Restored Hadrian Marble Bust
Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Hadrian; detail of the shoulder of the restored marble.
Marble Bust of the Roman emperor Hadrian; detail of the restored marble.

He used his relationship with his Greek lover Antinous to underline his philhellenism and led to the creation of one of the most popular cults of ancient times.

The historical information about the Roman emperor Hadrian is abridged from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian.