45. Marble bust of Isis From Antiquity, Italy, 19th century Resting on a marble pedestal H. 44 cm; total height 56 cm A carved marble bust of Isis, after the Antique, Italian, 19th century Resting on a marble pedestal This magnificent head of a young woman is based on an antique Greek bust from the 5th or 4th century BC, kept in the bust room of the Pio Clementino Museum, which has traditionally been identified as the goddess Isis. Originating in Egypt, the cult of Isis spread throughout the Greco-Roman world in the Hellenistic period, and the goddess was depicted in art with a headdress topped by a disc, which may have inspired the elaborate hairstyle of the current model.