Explore the abstract of this artwork, Townley Hadrian.
A bust of Hadrian (r. 117 – 138 AD), the second-century Roman emperor who rebuilt the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma, was formerly displayed in Pope Sixtus V's Villa Montalto and is now displayed at the British Museum in London. The bust is one of the Townley Marbles collected by Charles Townley (1737–1805) and sold by his heir Peregrine Edward Towneley at a reduced price to the British Museum in 1805.  Unlike most busts of Hadrian and other emperors, it shows him in heroic nudity. The bust was found in Rome and is carved from Greek marble.
British Museum Pope Sixtus V Hadrian Townley Marbles Roman emperor Charles Townley Temple of Venus and Roma Pantheon Peregrine Edward Towneley heroic nudity London bust