Commodus, Roman emperor from 177 to 192, is usually shown bearded in the portraits he commissioned of himself. Here as a boy he is beardless of course but with the same characteristic curly hair and shallow heavy-lidded eyes.

Commodus perceived himself as a gladiator but many others considered him, in contrast to his father Marcus Aurelius, power-mad, lazy and cruel. Two of his more bizarre actions were believing himself to be the reincarnation of Hercules, and having Rome renamed after him. Such behaviour made it inevitable his reign would end in assassination