This over life-sized marble bust, right, depicts Emperor Didius Julianus, who ruled the Roman empire for just a few short months in the year 193AD. His fleeting 66-day reign took place during the tumultuous period known as ‘The Year of the Five Emperors’ and came to a grisly end when he was murdered by a common soldier.
The Roman bust had been in a long-standing collection in Beverley Hills since 1954 and led Christie’s sale of antiquities during ‘Classic Week’ in New York on April 29. The catalogue note described it as “the most complete and best-preserved bust” to have been identified as Julianus.