A Roman Marble Portrait of the Emperor Nero Circa 1st Century A.D. Height 6 inches. Property from a Midwest Private Collection Provenance: Christi's, New York, Antiquities, 11 December 2009, Lot 151. Note: Known as the fifth and final ruler of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, Emperor Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) was born December 15th, 37 A.D. He succeeded his uncle Claudius as Emperor in 54 A.D. Close study of Nero's portraiture on coins, and in sculptured replicas, reveals the creation of five separate portrait types. The facial hair and hairstyle suggest that this portrait was one of the later portrait types. For more on Nero's portrait types, see D. Kleiner, Roman Sculpture, Yale, 1994, p. 135-139.