Roman sculpture began as imitations of Greek styles but developed into distinctive portrait busts that realistically depicted prominent Romans. These portraits emphasized stern, authoritative personalities over emotion. Under the Empire, sculptures took on more idealized forms, portraying emperors as divine rulers. Narrative reliefs commemorated imperial achievements and events. While retaining some Greek influences, Roman sculpture prioritized realistic details, spatial depth, and documenting history over uniqueness. By the 4th century AD, as Christianity rose, portraiture became more symbolic and relief sculpture less naturalistic.

1. Roman Sculpture

2. Is there such a thing as a Roman style of sculpture?
•Romans have reputation as imitators- copied many Greek
sculptures, vast quantities of work are adaptations and
variations of Greek models
•Roman demand for sculpture was high- attributed to
ANTIQUARIANISM (the love of antiquities) and their
desire for interior design- Greek and Egyptian copied were
in vogue at the time
•The slides that follow focus on wholly Roman subjectsportraiture and narrative relief

3. Republican Sculpture
•Political and military heroes were
honored by having their statues put on
public display
•Found in Etruscan territory
•This gesture reoccurs in hundreds of
Roman statues
•Artist was probably Etruscan, but
worked in the Roman style
•Very, serious, factual in detail(tied
shoelaces)
Aulus Metellus, early 1st c., Bronze

4. •Unmistakable purely Roman style of
portraits
•Detailed record of “facial
topography”
•Designed not to bring out emotion
like Hellenic sculpture, but to show a
Roman personality-rugged, stern,
iron-willed, authoritative
•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
•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. •Shows the tradition of Roman with these busts
•The wax images weren’t works of art- they
were just copies of the face-when they were put
into marble, the faces took on a spiritual quality
•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-•Portrait sculptures become more
god-like
•The idea of the divine ruler (Egypt
and Near East) has returned!!
•Has common Roman pose
•Idealized figure and face
•Realistic surface detail
•“inspired” glance
•Does have a definite likeness,
when compared with other
Augustus portraits
•Emperor’s 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 emperor’s achievements
•This had not been done in Greece- no specific historic events were recorded
•Ara Pacis- Augustus preferred to be depicted as a defender of peace rather than
as a military hero
•Monumental frieze depicts allegorical and legendary scenes

8. Ara Pacis detail
•Has a Hellenistic, classicist style
•Procession of a concrete event- the founding of the altar in 13 BC
•People depicted are meant to be portraits
•Great concern for spatial depth

9. Spoils from the Temple in Jerusalem, Arch of Titus, 81 AD
•Arch erected in 81 AD to commemorate the victories of Emperor Titus
•Idea of movement is successfully portrayed-shows the procession moving
away from the viewer

10. •The purposes of Imperial art
sometimes were incompatible with a
realistic treatment of space
•Commemorated Trajan’s victories
over the Dacians (ancient Romanians)
•Free standing columns were used as
monuments since Hellenic times
•Continuous spiral band of relief
documents the history of the war
•Column was originally topped with a
statue that was destroyed in the Middle
Ages
•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
•Rarely shows actual combat-more
attention to geography and politics
•Similar to Near East reliefs, although
unclear if there is a link
Column of Trajan, Rome, 106-13 AD

11. •Production of portraits was vast in
Imperial Rome
•Vespasian did not really believe in the
idea of the divine ruler
•There is a Republican flavor to the
portrait
•Focus on skin and texture is very
Greek
Vespasian, 75 AD

12. Graceful and gentle, softness of
skin and detail of fashionable hair
Portrait of a Lady c. 90 AD

13. •Portrait has emotional intensitya combination of Greek pathos
and Roman nobility
•Seen in strong brow,
commanding gaze
•Conformed to the Roman
tradition of being clean-shavenafter this, emperors wore beards
to depict Hellenic tradition
Trajan, 100 AD

14. •Statue reflects the reign of
Marcus Aurelius who was
very interested in classical
Greek philosophy
•One of the few Roman
sculptures to remain on
public view through out the
Middle Ages
•Equestrian statues had been
a tradition since Julius
Caesar
•Marcus Aureilius saw
himself as a bringer of Peace
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, 161-180

15. •3rd century saw the empire in constant
crisis
•Emperors were “soldier emperors”from outlying provinces
•Emperors gained the throne through
force
•This is reflected in the portraits- a
different mood- more emotional, less
documentary
•Plontius was a Greek philosopher who
was very mystical
•There was a spread of Oriental Mystery
cults that foreshadowed the middle ages
rather than reflecting Classicist tradition
Portrait Head (Plontius) late 3rd C. BC

16. •First Christian ruler of Rome
•Portraiture has become more
symbolic than realistic- a
visible symbol of the spiritual
self
•Statue does not show us what
Constantine looked like, but
what he thought about himself
and his office
Constantine the Great, early 4th C. AD

17. Arch of Constantine, Rome, 312-15 AD
•Decorated with sculpture taken
from earlier Imperial
monuments- probably because
of the poor conditions of the
sculpture studios at the time
•Also shows that Constantine
saw himself as the restorer of
Roman glory

18. Frieze, Arch of Constantine, early 4th c.
•Made specifically for the arch (not taken from elsewhere)
•Shows Constantine addressing the Senate- no sense of movement, no spatial
depth, no foreshortening, shallow doll-like figures, no contrapposto
•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