The Face of Emperor Hadrian (Artistic Reconstruction)

Project requested by: Hadrian Augustus & Miryam MA

Hadrian (b. January 24, 76AD - d. July 10, 138 AD) Aged 62.

Emperor Hadrian is best known for his building of "Hadrian's Wall", marking the northern limit of what is now the United Kingdom. He also rebuilt the Pantheon, which is now a church in Rome, and was famously the lover of the young Antinous. Hadrian was generally spurned and disliked by the Senate for his aloof, authoritarian nature which could swing from kindness to cruelty in an instant. For all that, his reign was generally peaceful, so at best he was considered a "benevolent dictator".

ARTIST NOTES: I get leery about projects which seem easy, because that will usually mean the opposite once I get started. There are many statues of Hadrian throughout his reign, and his appearance could change significantly from artist to artist: eyes close together or far apart, a thick or thin beard, a long or short nose, average eyelids or hooded eyes, etc. If every person had 12 different versions of themselves displayed to the public, it would be difficult to sort out which one was closer to the truth.

History describes Hadrian as: dark haired, but with grey or light-eyes which were bright, he had long hair which was curled with a comb, displayed a beard to conceal his blemishes, was tall and elegant, and strongly built. Some sources suggested his Greek/Spanish lineage gave him a handsome appearance.

From all the portraits, it seemed most likely that Hadrian had a round-ish face and small, close-set eyes with small lips and a pronounced browbone. Very little attempt was made to sculpt hairs for his eyebrows so they might have been on the thin side. He was around 40 years old when he became Emperor, so I depicted him from that point. His dual personality of generosity to cruelty, curiosity to conceit, led me to settle with a facial expression which was attentive, but suspicious.


"Hadrian" 2019. Original digital art © M.A. Ludwig

Music "Grandeur" © 2011 from album "Grandeur" composed & performed by M.A. Ludwig

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