Gilded bronze bust of Valentinian II, Sopianae (?)

The museum in Pécs purchased this 12.4-centimetre-tall bronze emperor’s portrait from a private collector. Its entire surface used to be gilded, similarly to other bronze imperial statues sculpted in the 2nd and 4th centuries. A laurel wreath surrounded the bust and can be seen at the shoulders. Judging by both his hairstyle and diadem, the young emperor’s portrait can be identified – according to the present viewpoint – as one of the rulers of the 4th century, Valentinian II (375-392). This presentation of an emperor – with a mantle clasped by a large fibula (brooch) and diadem decorated with a gem and two lines of beads – already prefigures the artistic taste of the Byzantine court.