Provenance:
Private Collection (M.U.), Paris, acquired in 1980s.
 
Published:
J.D. Cahn, Cahn's Quarterly 4/2019, 2019, p. 15.

Note: 
This relief fragment represents the young Marcus Aurelius in the years preceding his accession to the imperial throne (161-180 AD). From a clean-shaven curly-head boy to a lengthy-bearded philosopher-king, scholars have identified four main portrait types for Marcus Aurelius. The broad forehead, short beard, and wispy moustache place this portrait of Marcus as type two, or more poetically known as the "crown prince" type.