In this portrait of an elderly man, the bone structure of the face emerges prominently from beneath the loose, almost lifeless skin. Together with the fixed gaze and pursed mouth, it brings to mind the tradition of death masks cast in wax from the faces of the deceased. Often nameless, there are many faces that have been discovered in various towns across Roman-era Italy which bear a resemblance to this stern man from Aquileia. They vary in the materials used (Greek or Italic marble, or limestone as with this piece), as well as in the quality of the craftsmanship.
A common trait is their taste, however, which is traditionally termed late-Republican realism. This was not a merciless rendition of physical defects – facial asymmetries, baldness or the signs of age – but rather a collective adherence to an iconography devoid of superfluous ornament, a rigorous and austere expression of the most authentic Roman values.