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Ancient Rome
The High Empire
This larger-than-life guilded bronze equestrian statue was
selected by Pope Paul III as the center piece for
Michelangelo’s new design.
Most ancient bronze statues were melted down for their
metal value during the Middle Ages, but this one happened
to have survived.
Marcus possesses a superhuman grandeur and is much
larger than any normal human would be in relation to his
horse. He stretches out his right arm in a gesture that is
both a greeting and an offer of clemency (an act that
bestows or shows mercy toward another person over
whom somebody has ultimate power)
Some speculate that an enemy once cowered beneath the
horse’s raised right foreleg begging Marcus for mercy.
The statue conveys the awesome power of the godlike
Roman emperor as ruler of the whole world.
Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius
Rome, Italy 175 A.D.
Ancient Rome
High Empire
This is a detail of a relief from a lost arch
The face of the Emperor does not portray the
supreme confidence that is usually depicted
A drill was used to render the emperors long hair and
beard and even to accentuate the pupils of his eyes
(created a pattern of light and dark across the face)
The details were added with a chisel- carved lines on
on his forehead and deep ridges running from his
nostrils to his mouth
Portraits of aged emperors were common but this
was one of the first where the emperor appears
weary, saddened and worried. The strain of constant
warfare and ruling an empire is shown in the
emperors face
This new type of imperial depictions in relief
sculpture marks the end of the classical age and the
beginning of the Greco-Roman age.
Portrait of Marcus Aurelius
Rome, Italy
ca. AD 175-180
Ancient Rome
The High Empire
Sarcophagus with the myth of Orestes
140-150 AD
Greek mythology was one of the most popular subjects for the decoration of these sarcophagi. This is the
story of the tragic Greek hero Orestes. It uses the same basic continuous-narrative composition. Orestes
appears several times: slaying his mother Clytaemnestra and her lover Aegisthus to avenge their murder of
his father Agamemnon. The repetition of sarcophagus compositions indicates that sculptors has access to
pattern books. This was a major industry during the High and Late Empire.
Ancient Rome
The High Empire
This sarcophagus from Melfi, in southern
Italy was originally manufactured in Asia
Minor.
The decoration on the side of the
sarcophagus is strictly Asiatic because it
depicts images of Greek gods and heroes
in architectural frames.
The deceased, a woman, reclines on a
kline, a bed. By her side are her faithful
little dog and Cupid, the child god of love.
Cupid holds a down turned torch, a
reference to the death of a woman whose
beauty rivaled that of his mother, Venus,
who appears in one of the niches on the
back of the sarcophagus.
Asiatic sarcophagus with kline portrait of a woman
Melfi, Italy
A.D. 165-170
Ancient Rome
The High Empire
Egyptians buried their dead in mummy cases. In Roman times,
however, painted portraits on wood replaced the traditional stylized
portrait masks.
The man in this mummy painting, copying Marcus Aurelius, has
long curly hair and a full beard.
These paintings were probably painted when the subjects were still
alive. They were used to trace the evolution of portrait painting after
Mount Vesuvius erupted.
Some aspects to note are the refined use of the brush and the
spatula, soft and delicate modeling, and sensitive portrayal of the
calm demeanor of its thoughtful subject.
Mummy portrait of a man
Faiyum, Egypt
A.D. 160-170
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Painted portrait of Septimius Severus and his family
A.D. 200
The Severan family portrait is special for two
reasons beyond its mere survival. The
emperor’s hair is tinged with gray, suggesting
that his marble portraits also may have
revealed his advancing age in this way.
Also noticed in the portrait, the face of the
emperor’s youngest son, Geta, was erased.
When Caracalla succeeded his father as
emperor, he had his brother murdered and
his memory damned.
The painted tondo, circular format, portrait is
an eloquent testimony to that damnatio
memoriae and to the long arm of Roman
authority.
The concept of damnatio memoriae is also evident in
Ancient Egypt, when Thutmose III had all
rememberances of Hatshepsut destroyed after her
death.
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
When civil conflict following Commodus’s
death ended, an African general named
Septimius Severus was master of the Roman
world. The new emperor proclaimed himself
as Marcus Aurelius’s son. For this reason, he
is depicted with long hair and the Antonine
“trademark” beard. Many prints of his wife,
Julia Domna, the daughter of a Syrian priest,
and their two sons, Caracalla and Geta, also
exist.
Only one print of the entire family exists. It is
painted in tempera, or pigments in egg yolk,
on wood. This is the only surviving painted
likeness of any Roman emperor.
The perishable nature explains the almost
total loss of these paintings.
Painted portrait of Septimius Severus and his family
A.D. 200
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
• Typical sculpture of the ruthless emperor Caracalla
• The sculptor suggested the texture of his short hair
and cropped close beard.
• Caracalla’s brow is knotted, and he abruptly turns
his head over his left shoulder, as if he suspects
danger from behind.
•He was killed by an assassin’s dagger in the sixth
year of his ruling.
Portrait of Caracalla, ca. A.D. 211-217.
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Chariot procession of Septimius Severus,
relief from the Arch of Septimius Severus
A.D. 203
• Gives no sense of rushing motion, rather stately slowness.
• The emperor and his sons are detached from the chariot and are facing the viewer.
• The figures in the second row have no connection with the ground and are elevated
above the heads of those in the first row, to be seen more clearly.
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Heroic portrait of Trebonianus Gallus,
Rome, Italy, 251-253
Trebonianus Gallus was the successor of Decius. He was a short
lived emperor.
A larger than life size bronze portrait that depicts him in heroic nudity.
He doesnt have the perfect athletic physique he has the physique of a
wrestler. Massive legs and swollen trunk.
This very big heavyset body dwarfs his head.
This is a image of brute strength.
In the era of the soldier emperors.
Ancient Rome
Battle of Romans and barbarians,
Rome,Italy, 250-260
The Late Empire
Burying people became so widespread
during the 3rd Century, Even the Imperial
Family started practicing it instead of
cremation.
This piece is an unusually large
sarcophagus that was discovered in 1621
in Rome.
It is decorated on the front with a chaotic
scene of battle between Romans and one
of their northern foes, probably the Goths.
The writhing and highly emotive figures
were spread evenly across the entire relief
with no illusion of space behind them.
This piling of figures was a very extreme
rejection of classical perspective.
This rejections shows the increasing
dissatisfaction Late Roman artists felt with
the classical style.
Text
The central horsemen stands out vividly. He is
bareheaded and without a weapon. He may be one of the
sons of Trajan Decius.
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
It is speculated that he is one of the sons of Trajan Decius.
He is bareheaded and thrusts out his open right hand to
demonstrate that he holds no weapon.
The young general is boasting that he is a fearless
commander assured of victory.
This self assurance may stem from his having embraced one
of the increasingly popular Oriental mystery religions.
On his forehead there is a carved emblem of Mithras, the
Persian god of light, truth, and victory over death.
Battle of Romans and barbarians,
Rome,Italy, 250-260
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Many Romans were led to seek solace
in philosophy because of the insecurity
during this period.
This sculpture depicts an enthroned
Roman philosopher holding a scroll,
while being flanked by two standing
women. There are other philosophers in
the background that were students of
the central deceased teacher.
This type of sarcophagus became very
popular for Christian burials, where the
wise-man motif was used not only to
portray the deceased but also Christ
flanked by his apostles.
The frontal three-part compositions such
as this were quite common in Early
Christian art.
Sarcophagus of a philosopher,
A.D. 270-280 Vatican Museums, Rome
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
The four tetrarchs were often portrayed together, both
on coins and in the round. Artists sought to represent the
nature of the tetrarchy itself- the four equal partners in
power.
The portraits were done in two pairs of porphyry (purple
marble). Each of the emperors has lost his identity as an
individual and was subsumed into the larger entity of the
tetrarchy.
All of the tetrarchs are identical in cuirass and cloak.
Each grasps a sheathed sword in the left hand, and with
their right arms they embrace one another in an overt
display of concord.
The figures have large cubical heads on squat bodies. The
drapery is schematic and the bodies are shapeless. The
faces are emotionless masks, with the human figure once
again conceived in iconic terms.
Portraits of the four tetrarchs
Saint Mark’s, Venic, A.D. 305
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Constantine’s decisive victory at the Milvian
Bridge resulted with a great triple-passageway
arch in the shadow of the Colosseum to
commemorate his defeat of Maxentius.
The arch was the largest erected in Rome
since the end of the Severan dynasty nearly a
century before. There is great sculptural
decoration, which was taken from earlier
monuments of Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus
Aurelius.
Sculptors re-cut the heads of the earlier
emperors with the features of the new ruler in
honor of Constantine. They also added labels
to the old reliefs that were references to the
downfall of Maxentius and the end of civl war.
The reuse of statues and reliefs by
Constantinian artists has been seen as a
decline in creativity and technical skill in the
waning years of the pagan Roman Empire.
Arch of Constantine
Rome, Italy A.D. 312-315
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Triple-passageway arch erected after Constantine’s victory at
Milvian Bridge, standing in the shadow of the Colosseum to
commemorate the defeat of Maxentius, Constantine’s chief rival.
Largest erected arch in Rome since the end of the Severan
dynasty, taking reliefs and columns from earlier monuments and
redoing them to honor the features and characteristics of
Constantine.
Labels were added to old reliefs, such as Fundator Quietus
(bringer of peace) and Liberator Urbis (liberator of the city) to refer
to Maxentius’ downfall and the end of the civil war.
Reuse of statues and reliefs by Constantinian artists shows
evidence of decline in creativity and technical skill of the waning
years of the pagan Roman Empire.
Reused sculptures, however, were carefully selected to associate
Constantine with the good emperors of the 2nd century,
underscored by reliefs above the lateral passageways, one of
which depicting Constantine on the speaker’s platform in the
Roman Forum flanked by statues of Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius.
Arch of Constantine (Side View)
Rome, Italy, 312-315 A.D.
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Distribution of largess, detail of the north
frieze of the arch of Constantine
Rome, Italy, 312-315 A.D.
Constantine is shown here with
attendants, distributing largess
to grateful citizens who
approach him
Figures move without natural
movement, but like that of
puppets
It’s a shallow relief without
separately cut heads, depicting
just a crowd of people
Simply a picture of frozen actors,
distinguishing the imperial
donor, his attendants to his
sides, and the recipients of the
largess at the bottom
The rigid formality is consistent
with a new set of values
supplanting classical notions
and revealing new principles of
the Middle Ages
The arch of Constantine was the quintessential monument of its era,
showing respect for second century sculpture, but rejecting classical
design, therefore paving the way for iconic art of the Middle Ages
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Portrait of Constantine, from the Basilica Nova
Rome, Italy, 315-330 A.D.
Built after Constantine’s victory over Maxentius, broke with
tetrarchic tradition and the style of soldier emperors and
resuscitated the Augustan image of the eternally youthful head of
state.
8 1/2 foot tall head that was part of a 30 foot tall statue of the
emperor, made of a brick core, a wooden torso laced with
bronze, and head and limbs of marble.
Artist modeled the seminude portrait on Roman images of the
God Jupiter
Emperor once held an orb in his left hand that symbolized global
power
Nervous glance of 3rd century portraits is gone, now with frontal
mask and enormous eyes
The size, likening to Jupiter, and eyes directed to no one
combine to produce a formula of overwhelming power
appropriate to Constantine’s position as absolute ruler
Sat in the western apse of the Basilica Nova in Rome, dominating
the interior and similarly looming over awestruck mortals who
entered the cellas of pagan temples
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
At Trier, the imperial seat of
Constantius Chlorus as Caesar
of the West, Constantine built a
new palace complex. It included
a basilica-like audience hall or
Aula Palatina of traditional form
and materials. The Trier basilica
measures about one hundred
ninety feet long and ninety-five
feet wide. Its austere brick
exterior, with boldly projecting
vertical buttresses creating a
pattern of alternating voids and
solids, characterized much later
Roman architecture. The
growing taste for large windows,
seen here, was due to the
increasing use of lead-framed
panes of window glass, which
enabled the Roman builders to
give life and movement to blank
exterior surfaces.
Aula Palatina (Basilica)
Trier, Germany - early fourth century AD
Ancient Rome
The Late Empire
Inside, the audience hall was also very simple. Its flat,
wooden, coffered ceiling is ninety-five feet above the floor.
The interior has no aisles, just a wide space with two
stories of large windows that provide ample light. At the
narrow north end, the main hall is divided from the
semicircular apse by a so-called triumphal arch.
The Aula Palatina’s interior is quite severe, although the
arch and the apse originally were covered with marble
veneer and mosaics to provide a magnificent environment
for the enthroned emperor.
The design of both the interior and exterior was closely
paralleled in many Early Christian basilicas. The Aula
Palatina itself was later converted into a Christian Church.
Aula Palatina
Trier, Germany - early fourth century AD