Emperor with the head of Trajan, front view.
Title
Emperor with the head of Trajan , front view .
Date
Early 2nd century (statue); 108 - 117 (head)
Cultural Context
Ancient Roman Italian European Western European
Style/Period
Roman (ancient Italian style) Imperial (Roman) Trajanic
Subject
Sculpture Portraits Men Emperors Rulers People associated with politics & government Military officers Military personnel People associated with military activities Gestures Clothing & dress Hairstyles Military uniforms Uniforms Shields Armor Rosettes Symbols Propaganda Awards Enemies Campaigns & battles War Warfare Victories
Description
"This armored statue was discovered in the ancient city of Gabii . […] The portrait of Trajan , set on a modern neck , did not belong to the statue ; it was furnished in 1793 by Vincenzo Pacetti , who produced this reconstituted piece for the museum of Gabii , […] . The statue is an adaptation of the Doryphoros , a Greek bronze sculpted by Polykleitos , ca. 440 B.C . Its arms and outer garment are also modern . It belongs to a type that […] represents an emperor with a mantle draped over his left shoulder , his right arm raised , pronouncing the adlocutio to encourage his troops . […] The statue's breastplate features a double row of pteryges decorated with profiles of eagles and heads of lions , elephants , and gorgons alternating above a double row of lambrequins . The armor is also ornamented with a mascaron representing Oceanus wearing a vegetal beard and two flying Victories adorning a trophy , with shields taken from the enemy . At the base of the trophy , two muscular barbarians with long hair sit face to face , leaning against shields , their hands tied behind their backs . This propaganda scene alludes to a military victory over barbarians , whose universal stir is suggested by the figure of Oceanus . It is surrounded by foliage starting at the base of the trophy and ending in rosettes . […] Though the breastplate has often been dated to the Flavian era (69-96 A.D.) , both its form and decoration could place it in the late first or early second century under the reign of Trajan (98-117 A.D.) . […] The portrait [of Trajan] belongs to the Decennalia type developed in 108 A.D . to commemorate ten years of Trajan's reign and is recognizable by the locks of hair on the forehead , which curve to the left and are interrupted by two indentations . The partial idealization of the emperor's features , in which he seems to be untouched by the passage of time , and the arrangement of the hairstyle intentionally recall portraits of Augustus . The Decennalia type was produced until the death of the emperor in 117 A.D . The Louvre statue , which is reconstituted but consistent , therefore provides an eloquent picture of Trajan as chief of the armies , the princes optimus , a victorious imperator. " (Excerpt from catalogue entry by Ludovic Laugier , p . 95) . Statue discovered in Gabii (Italy) in 1792 ; head discovered in Italy . Purchased in 1807 , formerly in the Borghese collection (MA 1150-INV . MR 360) . Restorer : D . Ibled , 2006 .
People Pictured
Trajan, Emperor of Rome, 53-117
Material
Marble (rock) Rock Stone (rock)
Measurements
H: 86 5/8 in (220 cm)
Technique
Sculpting Carving (processes)
Work Type
Portraits Statues Sculpture
Repository
Musee du Louvre (Paris, France)
Source
Giroire, Cecile, and Daniel Roger. Roman Art from the Louvre. New York: American Federation of Arts in assoc. with Hudson Hills Press, 2007. (p.95, cat.34).
Rights
Photographs of the works in the exhibition reproduced in Giroire courtesy: Copyright © 2007 Musee du Louvre and the American Federation of Arts/Anne Chauvet, Daniel Lebee, and Carine De Ambrosis.
Digital Publisher
University of Louisville Department of Fine Arts/Allen R. Hite Art Institute Visual Resources Center
Format
image/jpeg
Digital File Name
VRC 762-11.jpg
Rating
Add tags for Emperor with the head of Trajan, front view.
Your comment:
Your Name:
...
