Faustina the Younger

Faustina the Younger Faustina the Younger lived 130-176, was the wife of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (from 145), and the mother of several children, including Emperor Commodus. Her plaster bust is a copy of a marble bust kept in the Musei Capitolini in Rome, made between 147-148. It shows a young woman with her head turned slightly to the left, with regular facial features. The portrait has a characteristic hairstyle. Her hair is arranged in loops framing her face, with a braid around her head. The remaining hair is combed back in the melon shape, and plaited in a basket with a central braid. The woman is wearing a tunic, and a coat draped in thick and stiff folds. The bust is patinated in dark green. It was made in the 4th quarter of the 18th century; its maker is unknown. It comes from the collection of Princess Izabela Lubomirska (1753-1816), the owner of the Łańcut Castle. It was exhibited in the Sculpture Gallery. At the end of the 19th century, in the times of Elżbieta and Roman Potocki, it was moved to the library, and it has decorated it since then. Barbara Trojnar