The bust shows an old man, clean-shaven and with closely-cropped hair, indicated with rows of simple shallow gouges on the head. The details of his face are closely observed, especially his rather small eyes and the jowls and cheeks, which are quite heavy and sagging. This has suggested to some that the portrait may have been taken from a death mask. This realistic 'warts and all' type of portrait, which sometimes looks startlingly unflattering, was extremely popular during the late Republic and early empire.