Portrait of Octavia Minor

This marble portrait (69 BC–11 AD) is attributed to Octavia Minor, sister of Augustus. Her features and Livia-like hairstyle reflect ideals of grace and virtue. Married to Mark Antony, she endured his betrayal for Cleopatra yet remained loyal, raising both her own children and Antony’s. Admired for dignity amid misfortune, she embodied Rome’s ideal of female virtue and dynastic duty.