Download Roman art 509 BC

Roman art
509 BC - 337 AD
Sources:
www.Getty.edu
www.arthistory.about.com
www.georgeortiz.com
In terms of style, when Rome conquered Greece, they
"adopted" and "borrowed" their artistic concepts - thus
continuing the tradition of cultural greatness. By this time,
people were in the habit of collecting art and placing it in their
villas so it was best not to rock the boat - so to speak.
Generally speaking, Roman artworks (specifically those works
which are now considered to have been the first civic
sculptures) were created to glorify those in charge. It was
thought that the best way to do this was to make the art big --really big. And so, arches, buildings and statues (eight and a
half foot tall busts were not uncommon), dwarfed most
everything around them. Another interesting aspect of the art
of Rome is that it depicted people as they really were. After
years of "faking it", portraits were crafted to look like the
people they represented rather than idealized versions of the
same.
Portrait Bust of a Roman Lady
Portrait Bust of a Roman Lady
Roman, Rome, A.D. 150 - 160
Although the woman shown in this Roman portrait bust can not be
identified, stylistic features reveal when and where she was made. Her
hairstyle copies one worn by the Empress Faustina, the wife of the
emperor Antoninus Pius, who reigned from A.D. 138 to 161. The highly
polished surface of the bust also signals an Antonine date for its creation.
Portraits of the imperial family defined high style and fashion, setting the
standards for private portraiture of the social elite.
This woman appears to be of mature years, yet she displays no physical
signs of aging. Roman portraits of women tend to be more idealized and
less individualized than those of men. The political or social message that
a portrait conveyed was as important as its actual resemblance to the
person portrayed. For this reason, portraits of Roman women often are
concerned more with representing the latest ideas of fashion and beauty
than they are with depicting actual features.
Statuette of Mars/Cobannus
Statuette of Mars/Cobannus
Roman, Gaul, A.D. 125 - 175
A youthful figure wears a typical costume for the northern Roman
provinces: a long-sleeved tunic, leggings, and a cloak fastened with a
round brooch. On his head he wears a contemporary Roman helmet,
rather than the classicizing headgear found on most Roman sculpture. The
whites of his eyes are silvered and the irises drilled. The figure's pose
looks odd now, but he originally held a spear in his upraised right hand and
rested his left hand on a shield.
The Latin inscription on the base reads, "Sacred to the venerable god
Cobannus, Lucius Maccius Aeternus, duumvir, [dedicated this] in
accordance with a vow." The statue probably represents Cobannus, a local
deity who was equivalent to Mars, the Roman god of war. The family of
Lucius Maccius Aeternus is known from other inscriptions in Gaul and must
have been important, for a duumvir was one of the two chief magistrates of
a Roman colony.
This statuette is said to have been found in France, in the Roman province
of Gaul.
Statuette of Venus
Statuette of Venus
Unknown, sculptor; Roman, 100 - 1 B.C.
With its depiction of Venus, the goddess of love, crouching in her bath, this
damaged statuette is a copy of an original large-scale sculpture dating to the
100s B.C., probably by Doidalsas of Bithynia. The goddess crouches low in
order to allow an attendant, who is not depicted, to pour water over her. The
original statue showed the interest of Hellenistic sculptors in rendering the
nude female form.
While the earlier statue does not survive, later copies such as this piece
preserve its general appearance. These copies were especially popular in
the Roman period, with artists reproducing the original in large numbers in a
variety of media and sizes and with slight variations of pose. Roman patrons
often commissioned miniature copies of large-scale Greek public art for their
private use, decorating their homes with the statuettes. The use of the
valuable medium of rock crystal marks this piece as a prestigious luxury
item for a rich patron.
Statuette of a Snake-legged Giant
Statuette of a Snake-legged Giant
Roman, Asia Minor, 180 - 220 A.D.
In Greek mythology the giants, children of Ge (Earth) and Uranus (Sky), tried to
overthrow the Olympian gods in a mighty battle. This young giant, identified by
his snaky legs, was originally shown in combat with a now-missing opponent.
He raises his right arm, wrapped in an animal skin, to ward off a blow. The
giant's unkempt hair and the clumps of body hair sprouting from his chest,
belly, and shoulders emphasize his wildness and barbarity.
The battle between the Olympian gods and the giants was extremely popular in
Greek art; after the Persian War, it became an allegory for battles between
Greeks and barbarians. The giant's twisting pose, the intense pathos of his
expression, and the choice of the subject itself were deeply influenced by the
style of art developed in the Greek city of Pergamon in the 100s B.C., a style
that saw a resurgence in Roman art of the late 100s A.D.
This figure may originally have been part of a large group depicting the battle.
In the Roman period, groups of small bronzes were often used as decorative
elements on objects such as furniture or chariots; the attachment hole on the
giant's "knee" suggests this usage.
Portrait Head of Julia Titi
Portrait Head of Julia Titi
Roman, Italy, about A.D. 90
Julia Titi was the daughter of the Roman emperor Titus, who ruled during the
Flavian dynasty from A.D. 79 to 81. Recorded in history as a wild young
woman who was her uncle Domitian's mistress, Julia died in A.D. 91 at the age
of thirty.
This portrait depicts Julia with a dramatic, curling hairstyle. A diadem originally
inlaid with materials such as gold, silver, or gems marked her imperial status.
Julia would have worn earrings, probably made of gold, which are now
missing; the small holes at either side of her neck indicate the original
presence of a now-missing necklace. Traces of paint preserved in Julia's curls
show that her hair was originally a reddish color. The deeply drilled curls and
chiaroscuro effect are typical of Roman sculpture in this period.
Portraits of the women in the imperial family set fashions for the entire Roman
Empire. A hairstyle worn by an empress or princess would soon appear on
portraits of ladies of the imperial court and then spread out through the rest of
Roman society as a sign of taste and status. Elaborate curled hairstyles
reminiscent of that worn by Julia became the mark of fashionable women in
the Flavian period.
Seated Cybele with Portrait Head of her Priestess
Seated Cybele with Portrait Head of her Priestess
Roman, Rome, about A.D. 50
This large statue of a seated woman portrays Cybele, the mother
goddess, with many of her attributes, each signifying a different role. She
wears a crown in the form of a towered wall, a symbol of her role as
protectress of cities. Her right hand holds a bunch of wheat and poppy
heads, a symbol of her role as a goddess of agriculture. Her most
famous attribute, the lion, sits at her feet, symbolizing her power over
wild animals. Under her left arm she holds additional symbols: the rudder
and the cornucopia.
This statue's most unusual feature is its face, which belongs to an older
Roman matron, not an idealized goddess. Wealthy Roman women would
frequently commission portraits of themselves depicted as if they were
goddesses. Cybele is an unusual choice, however, which may indicate
that this woman was a priestess in the goddess's service.
Aphrodite - Hygieia with Eros
Aphrodite - Hygieia with Eros
Roman, Asia Minor, A.D. 100 - 200
Standing with her weight on one leg and clothed in a voluminous gown,
this statue of a goddess looks off to her left. Her precise identity is
uncertain because the figure displays elements connected with more than
one deity: Hygieia, the goddess of health, and Aphrodite, the goddess of
love. The presence of the small, sleeping Eros, the winged young god of
love, who leans against her leg, and the goddess's hairstyle argue in favor
of her identity as Aphrodite. Yet the dress the goddess wears and the
snake she holds are more typical of Hygieia. Furthermore, the egg she
holds, an emblemof Hygieia's father Asklepios, associates her with that
goddess.
As a relative latecomer to the classical pantheon, Hygieia lacked a distinct
mythology and hence definitive attributes. Frequently Hygieia was
blended or merged with another goddess, both in cult practice and in
depictions, and this combination may be represented here.
Cameo Glass Flask
Cameo Glass Flask
Roman, Rome, about 25 B.C. - A.D. 25
An Egyptian pharaoh, identified by his crown and staff, and an obelisk
with meaningless hieroglyphs decorate the front of this Roman cameo
glass flask. On the other sides, one boy approaches an altar
surmounted by the Egyptian god Thoth in the form of a baboon, while a
second boy approaches another altar decorated with a uraeus or sacred
snake. The decoration of this small flask, which probably held perfumed
oil, may show the story of the young god Horus, who was brought back
to life by Thoth after being stung by a scorpion. The imagery on this
vessel may have had specific meaning for its owner; or, more probably,
it may reflect the general popularity of Egyptianizing scenes in Roman
art after the Roman Empire's annexation of Egypt.
Due to the time and labor involved in its creation, cameo glass was very
rare. Artisans first covered or encased colored glass with opaque white
glass. They partially cut away the white layer to reveal the colored
background, then carved the raised white areas in relief. Artisans
practiced this technique almost exclusively in the early Roman Empire.
Mold-Blown Cup
Mold-Blown Cup
Roman, A.D. 1 - 50
"Be glad that you have come" reads the Greek inscription
encircling this Roman mold-blown glass cup. This common
expression urging the drinker to enjoy the moment is typical of
the friendly exhortations found on early Roman cups.
Glass vessels decorated with inscriptions were extremely
popular in the first century A.D. and were found throughout the
Roman Empire. An artisan made this cup by blowing glass into
a baked clay mold, a technique that originated in the first
century A.D. in the area of Roman Palestine. This technique
allows the mass-production of identical vessels. At first, the
new technique was employed to produce ornate vessels, but
simple forms were soon manufactured as well.
Aryballos (Unguentarium)
Aryballos (Unguentarium)
Roman, Gaul, A.D. 70 - 100
Colorful enamel inlays elaborate the twelve large pentagonal panels
covering the surface of this Roman bronze aryballos. Within these
panels, curling tendrils on a blue enamel background surround an
inner pentagon outlined in red enamel. The inner pentagons contain
different decorative motifs, including birds and rosettes. The use of
enamel and pentagonal panels is typical of metal vessels made in
northern Gaul.
With its round body and broad mouth, this aryballos reproduces the
shape of a type of handleless ancient Greek vessel used to hold
perfumed oils, popular six hundred years before this object was made.
This Roman version has an enameled metal handle suspended from
wire loops. Stylized elephant heads, now missing their trunks, form the
attachment points on the mouth of the vessel, yet the heavy weight of
the metal vessel's body would have made the handle nonfunctional.