Hadrian was born in A.D. 76 to a Roman family living in southern Spain.

He was a cousin of the childless emperor Trajan, who on his deathbed adopted Hadrian as his son and successor.

Hadrian spent most of his early career in the army, serving under Trajan in Germany and Dacia, which is in modern Hungary and Romania. Hadrian's portrait appears on Trajan's column in Rome, which commemorates the conquest of Dacia. As emperor, Hadrian travelled widely in the empire, visiting most of the provinces over the twenty years of his reign.

He paid to have buildings, aqueducts, and roads built in many cities, like the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens, the ruins of which are seen here.

Hadrian was also a talented architect. He designed and built magnificent structures in Rome, including the Pantheon, a great domed temple dedicated to the twelve Olympian gods. The vast dome of Hadrian's Pantheon is as impressive today as it was nearly two thousand years ago, soaring 150 feet over visitors' heads.

Citizens from around the empire responded to Hadrian's interest and generosity by erecting statues in Hadrian's honor, like this statue recently excavated in the odeon, a small theater in the Roman city of Troy in northwestern Turkey.

Given the fine quality of the Art Institute's portrait of Hadrian, it probably came from a public dedication or cult statue. After Hadrian's death he was honored as a god by the Roman people.