Although Augustus is seen at a mature age, shortly before he was appointed Pontifex Maximus in 12 BC, the portrait shows the face of a young man - expressing a desire to explore psychological introspection. A recent hypothesis suggests that all the above stylistic features should be attributed to the prototype that served as the model for the Augustus from Kentoripa, which should, instead, be considered a good copy from the Age of Hadrian, given its smooth and transparent face, typical of portraiture of the 2nd century AD.