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Faustina the Elder ( 105-140 AD ) was officially elevated to the rank of deity by her husband, Emperor Antoninus Pius ( r. 138- 161 AD ), after her early death. The portrait shows her as a young woman on the threshold of becoming a matron with already slightly sagging cheeks and an approach to a double chin.

Her elaborate hairstyle was style-defining and was imitated by noble Roman women. In accordance with her rank, the portrait was given a particularly precious bust in Baroque Rome.