Bust of a Roman, the So-called "Marius"

In 88 BC a Roman general marched his army on Rome itself, the first to do so. He was Lucius Cornelius Sulla, and his opponent was Gaius Marius, seven times consul. Their feud tore the city apart for years. Marius died in 86 BC, Sulla in 78 BC. Long afterwards their names were given to two marble busts that now stand together in this room.

The museum dates both busts to around 30 BC, about half a century after the two rivals had died, and it calls the name Marius a mere nickname. Which leading Roman of the late Republic is really shown here, it says, has to stay open.

What the sculptor gave him is plain to see. The hair is cut short, and the head turns sharply to the left. The eyes sit deep in shadowed sockets, and the mouth stands open, which lends the face a note of pathos.