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Art Through the Ages
Chapter 10-4
From Seven Hills to Three Continents
The Art & Architecture of the Romans
The eagle with a snake in
it’s beak, was recently found in
London in a site that was
demolished during the 2nd century
CE.
The location is being called
by some Archeologists “the
Pompeii of the North.”
The eagle is believed to
have adorned a tomb.
The Antonines (138–192 CE.)
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Succession by Adoption: In 138 CE
Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius, whom
he required at the same time to adopt
Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.
On Hadrian's death, Antoninus Pius
became emperor. When he died 23 years
later, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus
became Rome's first co-emperors.
Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius
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Pedestal of the Column of Antoninus Pius, Rome, Italy, ca. 161 CE.
Marble. 8' 1.5”
Erected by Marcus & Lucius. Shows Antonius & Faustina rising to the
heavens to become gods witnessed by Roma & Capius Martinus.
Antonius is depicted with his wife who died 20 years earlier showing his
fidelity to her & how they were reunited after death.
Equestrian Monument
to Marcus Aurelius
ca.175 CE. Bronze, approx. 11' 6” high
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Equestrian portraits express the
Roman Emperor’s majesty and
authority.
Notice that the emperor’s size. It is
impossibly large compared to his horse.
His size emphasizes his power and
authority.
The emperor is weary, thoughtful &
benevolent as he stretches his arm out
in a gesture of greeting (or an offer of
clemency). At one time, there may
have been a cowering enemy under
the horses leg, begging for mercy.
This statue was preserved for many
years because it was believed to be a
portrait of Constantine.
This equestrian monument inspired
many Renaissance sculptors to portray
their patrons on horseback.
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius – SmART History video
•Marcus Aurelius was very
interested in classical Greek
philosophy.
•Marcus Aureilius saw
himself as a bringer of
peace.
•One of the few bronze
sculptures to remain on
public view throughout the
Middle Ages.
•Equestrian statues had
been a tradition since Julius
Caesar, but this is a very
rare surviving piece.
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius,
cast bronze, ca. 175 CE.
Late Empire (192-337 CE.)
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A Civilization in Transition: At the end of the 2nd century CE. the power of
Rome was beginning to decline.
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The Severans (193–235 CE.)
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The Soldier Emperors (235–284 CE.):
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Murder and Civil War: During the turbulent third century CE, many emperors
ruled only briefly before being murdered.
Diocletian and the Tetrarchy (284–306 CE.)
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An African Rules the Empire: The African-born emperor Septimius Severus,
his wife, Julia Domna, and their two sons, Caracalla and Geta
Power Shared and Order Restored: Diocletian established the tetrarchy and
adopted for himself the title of Augustus of the East. He ruled the East together
with a Caesar of the East. The other two tetrarchs ruled as the Augustus and the
Caesar of the West
Constantine (306–337 CE.)
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Constantine and the Rise of Christianity: Following the defeat of Maxentius at
the battle at the Milvian Bridge, Constantine believed the Christian god helped
him in battle. So he ended the persecution of Christians. In 325 CE., at the
Council of Nicaea, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
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Painted portrait of Septimius Severus
From Egypt, ca. 200 CE.
and his family
Tempera (pigments in egg yolk)
on wood, approx. 14" diameter
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In 193 CE. an African named
Septimius Severus, who was
the general of the army in Upper
Pannonia, became emperor with
the support of the Roman army.
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Septimius Severus died in
England, at York, in February
211 CE. He left the Empire
jointly to his two sons,
Caracalla and Geta. He is said
to have told them to take care of
each other and the army, and
never mind anything else.
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Caracalla killed Geta. He even
had Geta’s name and image
erased from monuments all over
the Empire.
See the defaced portrait at right >
This is the only surviving painted
image of any Roman emperor!
•Caracalla’s ruthless character was captured in his portrait images.
•Caracalla fought wars throughout his reign. But he was stabbed to death by
his own guards in 217 CE. in the middle of the Parthian war. The leader of the
guards, Macrinus, proclaimed himself emperor.
•Caracalla’s short beard & close cropped hair were created by incising the
marble’s surface.
•Often finely carved, his portraits look compact but convey an explosive energy.
Portraits of Caracalla
ca. 211–217 CE. Marble
Plan of the central section of the Baths of Caracalla
©2003 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under
license.
Rome, Italy, 212-216 CE. The bathing, swimming, and exercise areas were
surrounded by landscaped gardens, lecture halls, and other rooms. All were
enclosed within a great concrete perimeter wall. The whole covered 50 acres.
A Gigantic Roman Health Spa:
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The huge Baths of Caracalla in Rome were built with brick-faced concrete.
The symmetrical design includes a circular domed caldarium, a groinvaulted tepidarium and a frigidarium (hot, warm and cold bathing rooms).
Also part of the complex were lecture halls, libraries, colonnaded exercise
courts, and a large swimming pool.
Soul Portraits of Soldier Emperors
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Portraits of the soldier
emperors in the third century
CE. are notable for their
emotional content and for their
technical virtuosity.
Notice the subject’s worried
expression furrowed brow &
deep set baggy eyes.
The portrait reveals the
anguished soul of the man and
of the times.
Portrait bust of Trajan Decius,
A.D. 249–251. Marble,
approx. 31" high
•The 3rd century saw the empire in
constant crisis.
•Emperors were “soldier emperors”
from outlying provinces.
•They gained the throne through force.
•The upheaval of the time is reflected in
the portraits – the mood is more
emotional, less documentary.
•Plontius was a Greek philosopher and
“mystic.”
•At this time, there was a spread of
Oriental Mystery cults. The cults
foreshadowed the middle ages moving
culture away from Classicist traditions.
Portrait Head (Plontius)
late 3rd century BC.
Heroic portrait of
Trebonianus Gallus
Rome, Italy, 251–253 CE. Bronze,
approx. 7' 11" high
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The nude, larger-than-life
size bronze portrait of the
short-lived emperor
Trebonianus.
This work shows him with
a small head and a thick
wrestler's body.
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
Battle of Romans and Barbarians: The writhing and highly emotive
figures were spread evenly across the entire relief, with no illusion of space
behind them. Notice the victorious emperor at the center.
ca. 250–260 CE. Marble, approx. 5’ high
Plan and reconstruction drawing of the Temple of Venus,
Baalbek, Lebanon, 3rd century CE.
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The design ignores Classical traditions in its insertion of an arch into the
pediment of the gabled columnar façade, and in the introduction of
scalloped edges around the circular domed cella.
This is the only known example of 5 sided Corinthian capitals.
Temple of Venus, Baalbek, Lebanon, 3rd century CE.
Notice the scalloped edges around the circular cella.
• Made of porphyry (purple marble).
approx. 4' 3" high. Saint Mark's, Venice
•Artists did not try to capture the
individual appearances and personalities
of the Tetrarchs, but sought instead to
represent the nature of the tetrarchy
itself – that is, to portray four equal
partners in power.
•All are identically clad & each embraces
the other as a display of concordance.
•Figures have large cubical heads on
squat bodies & Faces are emotionless.
•Individuality, personality, & idealism
in portraiture have given way to
iconography.
Portrait of the
Four Tetrarchs
Constantine (306–337 CE.)
The rise of Christianity
Portrait Head of
Constantine
•This is the most impressive of
Constantine’s preserved marble
portraits.
•The head is 8.5 feet high.
•The entire statue was a colossal
30 feet high. It had a brick core, a
wooden torso covered with bronze
and heads & limbs of marble.
•The emperor held a globe and a
Christian cross.
•It is similar to the massive statue
of Ramses II, in terms of size and
the conveyance of power.
Colossus of Constantine – SmART History video
Arch of
Constantine
Rome, Italy, A.D. 312–315 (south side).
The arch is a great triple-passageway in the shadow of the Colosseum.
It commemorates the defeat of Maxentius on the Milvian Bridge.
The shallow reliefs on the
Arch of Constantine
show poorly modeled
undistinguished figures
that are squat in
proportion.
The figures have
mechanical gestures and
many repeat the same
stance as others.
The Arch of Constantine
Arch of Constantine – SmART History video
Re-fashioned reliefs, taken from earlier monuments were
utilized, probably because of the poor conditions of sculpture
studios at the time.
The re-purposing of older art works also shows that
Constantine saw himself as the restorer of Roman glory.
Frieze, Arch of Constantine, early 4th century CE.
•This frieze was made specifically for the arch (not taken from elsewhere).
•It shows Constantine addressing the Senate; no sense of movement, no
spatial depth, no foreshortening, shallow doll-like figures, no contrapposto.
•The composition is abstracted on purpose, it is symmetrical to show
the importance of the emperor in the center. The only figure to be shown
full-frontal is Constantine (his head has been knocked off). The design
points toward Christian (Medieval) art.
The Distribution of Largess
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Detail of north frieze of the Arch of Constantine, Rome, Italy, 312–315 CE.
Marble, approx. 3' 4" high
Sculptors refashioned reliefs from previous emperors’ monuments.
They also added labels like Fundador Quietus (bringer of peace), and
Liberator Urbis (liberator of the city).
In this frieze Constantine is shown giving largess to the citizens on
either side of him. The figures are squat & move mechanically.
The relief is shallow and the forms are not fully modeled. It is a crowd rather
than a composed group of individuals (as was seen on the Ara Pacis).
The Distribution of Largess
Frieze, Arch of Constantine, early 4th century CE.
How does the
principle of rhythm
play a part in these
two examples?
Procession of the
Imperial Family
Ara Pacis, Rome, Italy
ca. 13-9 BCE.
©2003 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
Reconstruction drawing of the
Basilica Nova (Basilica of Constantine),
Rome, Italy, ca. 306-312 CE. The original structure was 300’ long & 115’
wide with walls 20’ thick. Notice the clerestory windows.
Roman Basilica
Aula Palatina
An austere brick exterior, and boldly projected vertical buttresses
create a pattern of alternating voids and solids.
early 4th century CE, Germany
Roman Basilica, Aula Palatina
early 4th century CE
•The designs of both the interior
and exterior were similar in
many Early Christian basilicas.
•The simple interior is a wide
open space with two stories of
large windows and a flat,
wooden, coffered ceiling.
•It measures 195 feet long and
95 feet wide.
•The interior has no aisles but
in characteristic Roman
fashion, the rear apse is
framed by a triumphal arch.