A Roman Portrait from Germany in Texas

An ancient Roman portrait dating from the first century BC or first century AD was discovered in a Goodwill Store in Austin in 2018. It had once stood in the town of Aschaffenburg, Germany, in a full-scale model of a house from Pompeii, called the Pompejanum, built by Ludwig I of Bavaria. During World War II, Allied bombers targeted Aschaffenburg and seriously damaged the Pompejanum, and the portrait disappeared. After the war, the United States Army established various military installations in Aschaffenburg, many of which remained until the end of the Cold War. Most likely a returning soldier brought the sculpture to Texas, where it remained unknown until 2018. By agreement with the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens, and Lakes, the portrait will remain on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art until its return to Germany in 2023.