Roman Marble Bust Sells for Record $34.3 Million at New York Auction

A Roman marble bust dating to the first century AD has sold for $34.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, setting a record.

The sculpture depicts the torso of an emperor wearing elaborately decorated armour. The identity of the emperor was not specified in the available details.

Carved from marble, the work combines imperial portraiture with ornate military dress, its decorated armour a defining feature of the ancient sculpture.

The sale was described as record-breaking, though the details provided did not identify the auction category in which the record was set or the previous benchmark.