Bronze portrait head of the emperor Gaius (Caligula)
A bronze head of a young man with short, curled hair and a fixed, serious gaze, its surface mottled green and brown with patina. The head is cut off at the neck and set on a plain white block against a dark grey ground. The record identifies the sitter as the emperor Gaius (Caligula), but the head itself does not show that identity, so the attribution rests on the museum record.
Look closer: The bronze is cut off at the neck with a visible rough break, and a thin pin or rod projects from the base of the pedestal.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- ca. 37–41 CE
- Medium
- Bronze
- Source
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Size
- 2911 × 3880 px
Public domain · The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image under CC0 (latest date 50).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (The Met Open Access, isPublicDomain=true)
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (The Met Open Access, isPublicDomain=true)
Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1925