Originally part of a full length draped statue, this head was probably created for a private villa at Ariccia, near Rome. The top-quality marble it was made from was expensively imported from the Greek island of Paros.

This portrait has all the usual idealised features, influenced by Greek statues of athletes and gods, that Augustus favoured. The chunky carving of the hair, rather different from other Augustus portraits, suggests that it may have been made long after his death