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Larger Image |
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Title |
Emperor with the head of Trajan, front view. |
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Date |
Early 2nd century (statue); 108 - 117 (head) |
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Cultural Context |
Ancient Roman
Italian
European
Western European |
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Style/Period |
Roman (ancient Italian style)
Imperial (Roman)
Trajanic |
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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 |
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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. |
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People Pictured |
Trajan, Emperor of Rome, 53-117 |
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Material |
Marble (rock)
Rock
Stone (rock) |
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Measurements |
H: 86 5/8 in (220 cm) |
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Technique |
Sculpting
Carving (processes) |
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Work Type |
Portraits
Statues
Sculpture |
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Repository |
Musee du Louvre (Paris, France) |
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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). |
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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. |
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Digital Publisher |
University of Louisville Department of Fine Arts/Allen R. Hite Art Institute Visual Resources Center |
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Format |
image/jpeg |
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Digital File Name |
VRC 762-11.jpg |
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Rating |
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