Dynastic Commemoration and Imperial Portraiture in the Julio-Claudian Period examines the production of Julio-Claudian dynastic imagery from ca. 31 B.C. to 68 A.D., charting the varying perceptions of the first Imperial family in both Rome and the provinces. During this time, Roman power began to be linked to and defined as a particular family, but the multiplicity of divorces, adoptions, and assassinations that characterize the Julio-Claudian dynasty made it one of the most difficult to monitor.

Focusing on statuary groups that feature several members of the family, this study also includes historical accounts, inscriptions, and coinage that relate to the public presentation of the dynasty. It also identifies the regional dynastic policy in Rome and its dissemination to and reception by provincial cities.

Throughout, the levels of Imperial control and local initiative involved in the designing of dynastic monuments is assessed in order to demonstrate the problems that provincial dedicators encountered during their production.