Carved in pure white fine-grained or statuary marble, long highly prized for its colouration and subtle translucency, renowned as the very finest white marble for sculpture and sourced from the quarries at Pietrasanta and Carrara in Tuscany, this carved marble bust dates to the 19th Century and was undoubtedly part of a collection formed by a wealthy tourist undertaking the artistic and cultural education of the ‘Grand Tour’.

Julius Caesar (100–44 BC) highly regarded as a statesman and military general, was instrumental in the foundation of the Roman Empire. Given his other credentials as both an historian and also author of fine Latin prose, a bust of Julius Caesar was the perfect addition for display in any erudite and learned gentleman’s library.