The face of the deceased

Abstract

This paper explores the role of the portrait bust in Roman mourning. The portrait bust held a special status in Roman funerary contexts. Even in funerary contexts where free-standing busts were inconvenient or where resources prevented the ‘real’ thing, the form of the bust was utilised. This is reflected in the large corpus of funerary reliefs and sarcophagi, which depict portraits in bust format. Despite the proclivity of busts in funerary contexts, an in-depth discussion of the societal function of portrait busts is limited. Previous discussion has been focused on the ability of portrait busts to express the status of the depicted and/or dedicator. The funerary context is consequently overlooked. The function of these portraits as stand-ins for the deceased, the focus of grief and commemoration, requires further exploration. The intention of this article will be to remarry the frequently separated themes of commemoration, memory, mourning and status affirmation. I will argue that the bust format, through focusing the viewers’ attention on the face, was uniquely appropriate for fostering the presence of the deceased. This facilitated the role portrait busts could play as mediators between the dead and the living.