Life-size or slightly larger than life-size portrait of a woman. The head has technical features that indicate a later reworking in Antiquity. The first version originally depicted Aphrodite/Venus, whose hairstyle type corresponds to that of the Capitoline Venus. At a later point in time, probably in the early Antonine period, but certainly in the course of the 2nd century A.D., the head was reworked, turning it into a portrait. There are striking physiognomic similarities with the portraits of Faustina the Elder (105-140 A.D.), the wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius. These include the oval shape of the face, the outward sloping brows, the prominent eyelids, the small mouth with a curved upper lip that protrudes slightly over the fuller lower lip and the round, slightly receding chin, below which a slight double chin is visible. The upper eyelids do not droop quite as much as in other portraits of the empress, and the pupils are drilled slightly below the upper lids, so that her typical "sleepy" look is lost. In order to create the portrait features, parts of the face were carved in a lower position, as can be recognized, i.e. in the flattened mouth area. The surface polish in the reworked areas differs slightly from that of the first version. Traces of the reworking can also be seen in the hair, particularly in the side sections and the two strands that are drawn back over the forehead. Here drilled channels characteristic of the Antonine period enliven the original hairstyle with striking accents of light and shade. Traces of the first version are still recognisable in places. The former hair bow on the top of the head has been made smaller, particularly at the sides (traces of the drill used for this purpose can still be seen in places), presumably in order to make the coiffure more similar to that found in all three portrait types of Faustina which is characterized by a chignon. As the hair is parted in the centre, the hairstyle corresponds to the so-called simple portrait type. The broken surface of the nape of the neck was roughly smoothed in Antiquity (especially around the edges). It is possible that the statue to which our portrait head once belonged was originally placed in a niche, so that the back was not intended for viewing. The fact that the sculptor did not go to the trouble of reworking the hair between the forehead hair and the chignon may reflect the wish to reduce the amount of work involved, but it is also possible that this was deliberately intended. The practice of presenting oneself in the guise of various goddesses (the concept of the "Diva Augusta"), which was a feature of the ruler's cult and is attested for numerous Roman empresses. The fact that Faustina was deified immediately after her early death in 140 A.D. is in tune with such an approximation, especially as portraits of Faustina were also demonstrably created posthumously. The conspicuous flattening of the forehead hair can be linked to a remarkable detail in the side sections of the hair. On both sides, one (on the left side even a second) hole can be recognised in the strands of hair. These presumably served to attach a wreath or something similar - another important feature that speaks for the identification of our portrait as a portrait of an empress. The preserved base of the neck shows that the head is turned slightly to the right. Nose reattached and probably belonging. Surface slightly worn. Brownish deposits in places.