AN ITALIAN BRONZE GRAND TOUR FIGURE OF THE AUGUSTUS OF PRIMA PORTA AFTER THE ANTIQUE, CAST BY BENEDETTO BOSCHETTI, MID-19TH CENTURY Augustus modelled in the adlocutio pose, in a military dress, wearing a highly decorated breastplate and holding a sceptre, with a cherub astride a dolphin at his feet, on a circular base stamped 'B. Boschetti / Roma' 67.cm high Catalogue Note The original statue, from the 1st century AD and carved from Parian marble, was discovered in 1863 during archeological excavations at the villa of the Emperor's wife, Livia Drusilla, in the area that became known as the Prima Porta, or the 'first door' because of its proximity to Rome. Carved by expert Greek sculptors, the statue is assumed to be a copy of a lost bronze originally displayed in Rome. This depiction of Augustus shows him as a youthful and virile man, also barefoot which was only allowed in the depiction of gods until then. The symbolism creates an image of a powerful hero. Furthermore, the presence of the cherub riding a dolphin directly point to the divine origin myth of Julius Ceasar and subsequently his adopted son, Augustus, according to which the family descended from Venus, the Roman goddess of love. The antique can be seen in the Vatican Collection and it remains one of the most iconic images of the first emperor of the Roman Empire.