Roman Republican And Imperial Portraiture

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Couples Sarcophagus - Etruscan Era
c. 525BC

- reclining on a couch like banqueters
- affectionate pose of the man and lively gestures.
- Strict frontality is avoided by a slight turn of the man.
- interest of the sculptor lies on the heads and upper bodies, while the lower bodies lack substantial modelling.
- Terracotta

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Bust of an Old Man - Republican Era - Veristic

- Veiled head

- lack of variety in therepresentation of emotional state. Appears grave, stern and grim
- The exaggerated realism is expressed in the detailed depiction of a network of wrinkles, pouches of flesh and other blemishes of their emaciated faces.
- Artist attempts to reveal the muscles and the bone structure as seen through the skin.

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Patrician Carrying Busts - Augustan and Republican Era - Veristic

- dates from the laterAugustan period, but the head is ancient, probably of theRepublican period, but has been made to fit the later torso.
- Carries the busts of his ancestors, arguable grandfather (higher up) and father (resting on a support column)
- Realistic drapery (Augustan), aging and face detail (Republican)

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Julius Caesar - Republican Era - Veristic

- Started the trend of placing his portrait on coins which all other emperors followed. Desire of rulers to have control over their public image.
- The portrait faithfully reproduces the individualized features of Caesar. Artist also interested in reproducing the personality.
- Receding hairline with short hair, long nose, furrowed brow, crows feet, smile lines and sharp jaw shows the realism and individuality.

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Young Octavian (Augustus) - Republican Era - Veristic
c. 35-30BC

- Hellenistic fashion. Windswept hair, powerful upward turn of the head, and sharp, bony and somewhat contorted features.
- long neck and the small mouth are individualized characteristics of Augustus. Head clearly veiled.

- emotional and animated portrait, which revealed the ambition of the young man,
- against Republican traditions, and was soon replaced with a more idealised version

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Prima Porta Augustus - Early Imperial/Augustan Era - Idealism
c. 20-14BC

- most famous representation of Augustus, shows him as a general addressing his troops in a commanding gesture symbolic of his power.

- eternal youthfulness, ordered hair and smoothed out face show that this is more of a “role portrait".
- Greek Parian marble, modelled on the SpearBearer (Doryphoros) by Polykleitos, thought by the Romans to embody the idealqualities of body and spirit.
- Balance between individual and idealised characteristics.
- The pictorial program on the cuirass celebrated the domination of Rome from East to West, symbolised by the return through diplomatic means. Also emphasised by the figures of sky, sun, earth and other personifications.
- Sensitive modelling of the face, spiritual quality.

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Tiberius - Imperial/Julio-Claudian Era - Idealism
c. 14-54AD

- Portraits of the Julio-Claudian emperors follow the type set by Augustus in an attempt to emphasise the dynasty’s legitimate claim to the throne and give the impression of political stability.
- though at least fifty years old when he became emperor, looks quite young in his portraits.
- smooth face, calm expression and Augustan-looking hair.
- projecting ears and triangular face are characteristic of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

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Caligula - Imperial/Julio-Claudian Era - Idealism.
c. 14-54AD

- many of his portraits weredestroyed or recarved after unofficial damnatio memoriae.
- rounded skull, high forehead and narrow mouth

- imitated theyouthful portraits of Augustus.

- although literarysources clearly refer to his balding state, in his portraits he is shown with afull cap of hair.

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Claudius - Imperial/Julio-Claudian Era - Idealism w/ some Verism
c. 14-54AD

- face displays a thoughtful concentration and the realistic effectsof ageing.
- recalled Republican portraits, intended toreassure citizens that Claudius was committedto the traditional values of the Republic.
- His quite realistic head is however supported by an idealised youthful, muscular body.
- capped hair, thoughtful frown lines, smile lines, square neck and wide forehead.

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Nero - Imperial/Julio-Claudian Era - Idealism
c. 54-68AD

- round, fleshy face, small deeply set eyes, thick neck and full hair with increased textural contrast, brushed in parallel comma-like curls to the left

- recalled Alexander the Great's mane-like hair.

- In later portraits a brutal expression clearly comes through.

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Vespasian - Imperial/Flavian Era - Veristic
c. 69-79AD

- total contrast to the portraits of Nero
- looked back to the pre-Augustan fashion of aged patricians with realistic features and unpretentious expressions
- broad lined forehead, balding head, small closely-set eyes with crow’s feet, hooked nose and thin lips covering a toothless mouth
- severe and grim expression missing - instead projects a modest, kind, almost grandfatherly image.

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Trajan - Imperial Era - Idealism w/ aging and Verism.
c. 98-117AD

- emulated Augustus in his portraits; this is evident especially in his hairstyle with long strands of hair brushed to the left or right over a low forehead
- Not 'eternally youthful' but an 'ageless adult' instead
- Long nose, furrowed brow, wide thin lips, smile lines

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Young Marcus Aurelius - Imperial/Antonine Era - Idealism
c. 161-180AD

- portrayed with full tousled hair framing his handsome face
- shown as noble and intellectual with a meditative expression and a dreamy lookimparted by partially closed upper eyelids.
- A light moustache and beard now added more texture to his face.

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Mature Marcus Aurelius - Imperial/Antonine Era - Idealism
c. 161-180AD

- soft treatment with heavy contrast between the smooth face and the drilled hair
- Incised eyes illustrate the post-Hadrian era
- Marcus Aurelius' portraits displayed the aging process.
- depicted as mature, upturned side-glancing eyes and a longer beard than Hadrian, expressinghis personal commitment to philosophy.

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Commodus as Hercules - Imperial/Antonine Era - Idealism.
c. 180-192AD

- sits on a globe of heavens decorated with rosettes and flanked by two Amazonians.
- long face, large nose, thick upper eyelids which impart a languishing expression, and deeply drilled hair and beard.
- Often shows with heroic attributes and links to Hercules - e.g. the lions pelt, barbed club and handful of apples.
- arrogant, megalomaniac, clearly ruthless.

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Trebonianus Gallus - Late Imperial/Soldier Emperors - Idealism
c. 251-253AD

- pompous and graceless expression,
- this head is attached to an emotionally powerful statue, 2.4m high and loosely based on Alexander with the lance by Lysippos.
- The texture of hair and beard is defined by simple nicks.
- small, pursed mouth, lines forehead, small close together eyes which look upwards with incised pupils.
- the body on the statue is heavily idealised and very disproportionate especially in the wide, square torso.

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Colossal Constantine - Imperial Era - Idealism
c. 315-336AD

- Constantine was represented as a pagan Jupiter, distant and unapproachable.
- originally wore a diadem over his comma-shaped locks.
- Recalls the hairstyle of Augustus and Trajan, but his locks are strictly symmetrical and rigid
- youthful face is dominated by the large eyes, while the hair over the foreheadforms an arc.

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Detail of Colossal Constantine Head - Imperial Era - Idealism.
c. 315-336AD

- youthful face dominated by large incised eyes, while the hair over the forehead forms an arc.
- hair almost looks like a cap or a wig.
- slight upwards glance. indented chin calm expression, long eyebrows and small mouth.

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Hadrian - Imperial Era - Idealism
c. 117-138AD

- In the Hadrianic Era the technique of incised eyes was introduced - created more depth and texture and is a useful dating tool.
- more portraits of Hadrian than of any other emperor besides Augustus.
- depicted as a never-aging mature man. Smooth skin, long straight nose, full lips, rounded cheeks and curly hair arranged in thick waves.
- from the beginning depicted sporting a beard, a conscious attempt to emulate the Greeks. The 'bearded face of the intellectual'
- Busts during Hadrian’s reign were enlarged to include shoulders and chest.