Bory Jenő’s portrait sculpture depicting Nero may be seen in the Radio Room of the studio at Bory Castle.
The work, made of black-fired Bory bronze, immediately commands attention through its distinctive character: the sternly modelled features, deep gaze and dark surface convey strength, unease and menacing dignity at once.
According to family legend, Bory Jenő did not originally intend to model Nero at all. The story goes that he made a portrait of a brick manufacturer from Székesfehérvár, who had assisted the construction of Bory Castle with bricks. While working, however, the artist noticed the model’s particularly characteristic, hard features, which brought to mind the face of Nero as he imagined it. Bory is said to have then decided to transform the portrait into a historical figure: he modelled an imperial laurel wreath onto the head, and the work was ultimately reborn as a portrait of Nero. Although this has survived more as a family tale, the legend becomes readily believable when one considers the sculpture’s character.
The portrait’s power lies precisely in the fact that it does not depict an idealised ruler, but a hard personality full of inner tension. Bory Jenő did not seek to present historical events, but to capture the character of a man of tyrannical nature. The sculpture thus carries both the features of an ordinary person and the image of one of history’s most notorious emperors. This duality gives the work its distinctive atmosphere and makes it one of the most compelling of the portrait sculptures at Bory Castle.