On this portrait bust of a very young child, the eyes are unarticulated, cheeks full, lips slightly compressed, and chin is small but firm. The hair is cut short above the brow in bangs that resemble those of the emperor Trajan (ruled AD 98-117) and thus provide an approximate date for the sculpture.

The braided “lock of Horus” above the right ear is a Roman adaptation of the Egyptian coiffure indicating youth. It was often worn by Horus, the god of kingship, when he was represented as a child. In Roman art, the hairstyle acquired a more general association with the cult of Isis, an Egyptian goddess, the mother of Horus (also known to the Romans as Harpocrates). Her cult became popular throughout the Mediterranean in the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC), and its adherents worshipped Isis as a fertility goddess and as a protector of women and children. In a Roman context, the “lock of Horus” reflects a hope that Isis will protect the child in life and the afterlife, just as she protected her own son.

Below the bust is an inscription in Latin, which reads: “Sweetest Martial, a house-born slave, who lived two years, ten months, and eight days. Tiberius Claudius Vitalis made this monument for him, well deserving.” Roman inscriptions independently record more than one Tiberius Claudius Vitalis, whose first names are not uncommon. The term verna -- here translated as "house-born slave" -- refers to someone who was born to an enslaved woman in her enslaver’s household. Since enslavement was hereditary, a verna was viewed as part of the slaveholder's property, along with their mother. However, because of their proximity to the slaveholder, vernae were also often referred to as family members, though they did not enjoy the legal protections and privileges of Roman citizens and freedmen.

It is possible that Martial was Vitalis' biological son, but Martial did not share Vitalis' name. The nature of their relationship remains unknown. The affectionate tone of this inscription may reflect the portrayal of slaveholders as benevolent patriarchs who cared for enslaved people. This paternalistic ideology normalized the institution of slavery by obscuring its inherent inequity. While Vitalis' affection for Martial may have been genuine, Martial's feelings about his enslavement and his enslaver are unknown.

— Getty Museum, in: getty.edu