1. Roman Sculpture
Professor Will Adams
Valencia College
Fall 2011
2. Is there such a thing as a Roman style of sculpture?
â˘Romans have reputation as imitators- copied many Greek
sculptures, vast quantities of work are adaptations and
variations of Greek models
â˘Roman demand for sculpture was high- attributed to
ANTIQUARIANISM (the love of antiquities) and their
desire for interior design- Greek and Egyptian copies were
in vogue at the time
â˘The slides that follow focus on wholly Roman subjects-
portraiture and narrative relief
3. Republican Sculpture
â˘Political and military heroes were
honored by having their statues put on
public display
â˘Found in Etruscan territory
â˘This gesture reoccurs in hundreds of
Roman statues
â˘Artist was probably Etruscan, but
worked in the Roman style
â˘Very, serious, factual in detail(tied
shoelaces)
Aulus Metellus, early 1st c., Bronze
4. â˘Unmistakable purely Roman style of
portraits
â˘Detailed record of âfacial topographyâ
â˘Designed not to bring out emotion like
Hellenic sculpture, but to show a Roman
personality-rugged, stern, iron-willed,
authoritative
â˘Roman custom- at death, a waxen image
was taken of the head of the family, this
was then preserved in a special shrine in
the house- none remain
â˘Towards the 1st century BC, as the
Republican era waned, people felt the
need to record these images in stone, to
prove their ancient lineage
Portrait of a Roman, c.80 BC
5. â˘Shows the tradition of Roman with these busts
â˘The wax images werenât works of art- they
were just copies of the face-when they were put
into marble, the faces took on a spiritual quality
â˘The waxes were often copied in marble many
times - uniqueness was not an important Roman
goal
Roman Patrician with Bust of his Ancestors, 1st c. BC
6. Imperial Sculpture
â˘Portrait sculptures become more god-
like
â˘The idea of the divine ruler (Egypt and
Near East) has returned!
â˘Has common Roman pose
â˘Idealized figure and face
â˘Realistic surface detail
â˘âInspiredâ gaze
â˘Does have a definite likeness, when
compared with other Augustus portraits
â˘Emperorâs likeness was reproduced so
many times, that it became a national
emblem
Augustus of Prima Porta, c.20BC
7. Ara Pacis, c.13-9 BC
Narrative relief was also popular- to commemorate emperorâs achievements
â˘This had not been done in Greece- no specific historic events were recorded
â˘Ara Pacis - Augustus preferred to be depicted as a defender of peace rather than
as a military hero
â˘Monumental frieze depicts allegorical and legendary scenes
8. Ara Pacis detail
â˘Has a Hellenistic, Classical style
â˘Procession of a concrete event - the founding of the altar in 13 BC
â˘People depicted are meant to be portraits
â˘Great concern for spatial depth
9. Spoils from the Temple in Jerusalem, Arch of Titus, 81 AD
â˘Arch erected in 81 AD to commemorate the victories of Emperor Titus
â˘Idea of movement is successfully portrayed-shows the procession moving
away from the viewer
10. â˘The purposes of Imperial art sometimes were
incompatible with a realistic treatment of space
â˘Commemorated Trajanâs victories over the
Dacians (ancient Romanians)
â˘Free standing columns were used as monuments
since Hellenic times
â˘Continuous spiral band of relief documents the
history of the war
â˘Column was originally topped with a statue that
was destroyed in the Middle Ages
â˘Band of relief is 656 ft. long- can only follow
the relief if the viewer keeps turning around and
the detail disappears as the column gets taller
â˘Rarely shows actual combat-more attention to
geography and politics
â˘Similar to Near East reliefs, although unclear if
there is a link
Column of Trajan, Rome, 106-13 AD
11. â˘Production of portraits was vast in
Imperial Rome
â˘Vespasian did not really believe in the
idea of the divine ruler
â˘There is a Republican flavor to the
portrait
â˘Focus on skin and texture is very
Greek
Portrait Bust of Emperor Vespasian, 75 AD, Marble
12. Graceful and gentle, softness of
skin and detail of fashionable hair
Portrait of a Lady c. 90 AD
13. â˘Portrait has emotional intensity-
a combination of Greek pathos
and Roman nobility
â˘Seen in strong brow,
commanding gaze
â˘Conformed to the Roman
tradition of being clean-shaven -
after this, emperors wore beards
to depict Hellenic (Greek)
tradition
Portrait Bust of Emperor Trajan, 100 AD
14. â˘Statue reflects the reign of
Marcus Aurelius who was
very interested in classical
Greek philosophy
â˘One of the few Roman
sculptures to remain on
public view throughout the
Middle Ages
â˘Equestrian statues had been
a tradition since Julius
Caesarâs reign
â˘Marcus Aureilius saw
himself as a bringer of Peace
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, 161-180 CE, Bronze
15. â˘The 3rd century saw the empire in
constant crisis
â˘Emperors were âsoldier emperorsâ-
from outlying provinces
â˘Emperors gained the throne through
force
â˘This is reflected in the portraits - a
different mood - more emotional, less
documentary
â˘Plontius was a Greek philosopher
who was very mystical
â˘There was a spread of Oriental
Mystery cults that foreshadowed the
Middle Ages rather than reflecting
Classicist tradition
Portrait Head (Plontius), late 3rd century BC, Marble
16. â˘First Christian ruler of Rome
â˘Portraiture has become more
symbolic than realistic - a
visible symbol of the spiritual
self
â˘Statue does not show us what
Constantine looked like, but
what he thought about himself
and his office
Constantine the Great, early 4th century AD, Marble
17. â˘Decorated with sculpture
taken from earlier Imperial
monuments (âspoilaâ) -
probably because of the
poor conditions of the
sculpture studios at the time
â˘Also shows that
Constantine saw himself as
the restorer of Roman glory
Arch of Constantine, Rome, 312-15 AD
18. Frieze, Arch of Constantine, early 4th c.
â˘Made specifically for the arch (not taken from elsewhere)
â˘Shows Constantine addressing the Senate - no sense of movement, no spatial
depth, no foreshortening, shallow doll-like figures, no contrapposto.
â˘Abstracted on purpose - symmetrical to show the importance of the emperor in the
center = the only figure to be shown full-frontal (although head has been knocked
off) - looks forward to Christian art - does not revert back to archaic sculpture