This bust depicts a female deity, draped in a delicate veil, covering her head and shoulders. Scholars agree this is a depiction of the goddess Isis. The Romans often compared Isis to their goddess Demeter who is also generally represented with a veil.
Due to many common features shared by the two goddesses as well as a strong trading relationship between the Greek and Egyptian cultures, some religious confusion related to the goddesses developed. Both Isis and Demeter supervised and protected the fertility of the land and the harvest. Most importantly, particularly in Egyptian culture, the goddesses controlled the Nile floods, the phenomenon which guaranteed life itself to the Egyptian civilization.

The bust, formerly part of Collection d'Este, was found in the middle of the sixteenth century in Villa Adriana, the residence built by Emperor Hadrian in Tivoli. This bust was found in the so-called "Gymnasium", where the iliac cult was practiced.
Transported to Rome towards the end of the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XVI acquired it for the Gregorian Egyptian Museum in 1839, the year of its founding. Today it is placed in Room III of the Egyptian Museum among other major works from Villa Adriana, displayed in accordance to their original position there as documented by Egyptologist Jean-Claude Grenier.

State of Preservation

The condition of this statue was generally good. Its surface was covered with a layer of dust and debris along with light varnish which was spread over the body in order to soften the visual difference between the various marbles used in previous restorations. Cleaning this piece preserved it for the future and enhance public viewing. Studies and investigations allowed a better understanding of the piece. A large part of the conservation process focused on the scientific analysis of the statue's surface and base using a high resolution tri-dimensional survey.