Clytie/Antonia
- Gallery: Room 1
- Culture: Roman
- Date: 40-50 (circa)
- Object type: portrait bust
- Materials: marble
- Museum number: 1805,0703.79
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is “Clytie/Antonia,” a Roman marble portrait bust of a woman. The subject is elegantly posed, possibly representing the historical figure Antonia or the mythological figure Clytie, a nymph associated with a flower. The figure's flowing hair, intricate floral crown resembling a blooming lotus or sunflower, and sensuous yet dignified features are strikingly rendered. Crafted from likely Parian marble, the smooth texture and polished quality contribute to the bust’s timeless elegance. The sculpture's origins remain a topic of scholarly debate, with evidence suggesting it may have been reworked and cleaned in the 18th century to enhance its romantic appeal. This bust holds a rich legacy, having once belonged to the collector Thomas Townley, who admired it deeply and even took it with him during a dangerous escape from a riot in 1780.
See it in person
Clytie/Antonia is on display in Room 1 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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