Greco-Roman Marble Bust of a Young Woman

It is well known that Roman emperors often opted to have their portraits carved depicting them in the guise of their favorite god. However, this trend was not limited to the emperors alone, for members of the imperial family and even ordinary citizens commissioned portraits of themselves as divinities. Roman women specifically chose to have themselves represented in the guise of Venus more frequently than any other goddess, no doubt due to her divine nature as the goddess of love. This gorgeous marble bust dates from the end of the Hellenistic Age until the beginning of the Roman Imperial Era. Due to the enormous influence of Greek art on the art of Rome, it is often difficult to determine just precisely where a work comes from. The tendencies of Roman artists to copy Greek originals further complicates this issue. Here is depicted the bust of a beautiful young woman. Her hair is parted down the middle in the front, and curly locks fall down in front of her ears, framing her face. Who is this lovely woman? Could she be a queen or empress? Perhaps she is a priestess? Could it be that she is not human at all, but divine?