Download Elena Althaus 1. Description and Narrative analysis of the artwork

Elena Althaus
1. Description and Narrative analysis of the artwork
The Capitoline Wolf, typically considered to be an Etruscan sculpture from the 6th or early 5th
Century B.C.E. has evolved as one of the most important symbols of the city of Rome and the
grandeur of Ancient Rome, representing its power, glory, and prowess. The symbol of the wolf
with the twins Romulus and Remus is ubiquitous and enduring, and has taken its place in modern
Rome. Though the wolf itself dates back to Etruscan times, the twins were added in the 15th
Century C.E.
The statue is a portrayal of one of the founding stories of Rome, that of Romulus and Remus, who
were the sons of Mars with Rhea Silvia, a Vestal virgin. Mars, the god of war, represented the
great military power of Rome. The Vestal virgins were women who dedicated their lives to Vesta,
the goddess of the family and the hearth. Both gods are central to the identity of the Ancient
Rome – Mars for the military glory and Vesta for the concept of pietas, familial duty, as is
depicted in another of the founding stories, that of Aeneas as composed by Virgil during the time
of the Emperor Augustus. The Vestal Rhea Silvia was the daughter of King Numitor, who was
killed by his brother Amulius who then ordered that the twins be killed. They were abandoned on
the Tiber and then saved by the Lupa, which was a sacred animal to Mars. They were rescued by
the she-wolf who cared for them until a shepherd found and raised them. Livy writes,
“In those days the countryside there was wild and empty. The story goes that
when the waters receded, the basket in which the twins had been abandoned was
left on dry land. A she-wolf, on her way from the hills round about to drink, came
across the howling infants. She gave them her teats to suck, and was so gentle
with them that the king’s shepherd found her licking them with her tongue”
(Livy, History of Rome, 1. 4).
According to legend, Romulus later killed his brother Remus and then founded the city of Rome
on the 21 April 753 BCE. This date also marks the traditional festival of Parilia, which honours
the god or goddess of shepherds and sheep, Pales.
The story of the founding of Rome carries again the central theme of brutality combined with
pietas, the fierce expression of the wolf combined with the loving care provided to the twins by
the wolf, capped by the aspect of fratricide. Militarism and familial pietas were themes that were
considered as the foundation of Roman identity as composed by Virgil, and the killing of family
competing for positions of power was a recurrent theme of most civilizations, both before and
after the Roman.
As the statue is generally associated with Etruscan times, it is necessary to mention the role of the
Etruscans in Roman history. The Etruscans were a people inhabiting central Italy, who
contributed to the development of Ancient Rome along with the Latins and the Sabine. The
Etruscans occupied the space north of the current city of Rome, which was on the border between
Etruscan and Latin land. The Etruscans dominated during the monarchical period of Roman
history, which transitioned to a republican system in approximately 510 BCE. The she-wolf dates
to the late monarchical period or early republican period.
In 2006, however, the date of the wolf was disputed by Italian historian of art Anna Maria
Carruba and Etruscologist Adriano La Regina. They proposed that the statue hailed from the high
medieval period, based on the casting technique. However, others disagreed, arguing that the
analysis was based on Greek and Roman technique, which does not necessarily apply to the less
understood Etruscan method.
Although the wolf has come to represent the founding myth, the statues of Romulus and Remus
were added later, during the Renaissance, possibly by Italian painter and sculptor Antonio del
Pollaiuolo. While some have proposed that twins were initially present but later lost, most ancient
references to a wolf statue do not include the twins.
The wolf was created during the time of transition from the monarchical period to the Republican
period. It has been said that the fierce and determined positioning of the animal came to represent
the uprising against Etruscan monarchy which resulted in the Roman republic.
2. Formal Analysis
The wolf is a hollow-cast bronze statue about 33.5 inches or 85 Cm tall. The statue of wolf and
twins has become the symbol of Rome, portraying its power and prosperity throughout the ages.
The wolf is known for its intensity and forcefulness. The body is tense and aware, with the head,
ears, and eyes watchful. The angles of the sculpture are very linear, as compared to later periods.
The wolf is somewhat crouched and the head is turned, as if watchful, and the ears are erect. The
features of the wolf are angular, and its expression is fierce. The linear detail has been connected
to the Etruscans and pre-Classical sculpture, while Classical portrayals were more smooth and
flowing. The muscles of the wolf are clearly portrayed, and the linear style gives emphasis to
them. The position of the neck and head are wary of surrounding enemies, and the eyes are
watchful. The overall composition depicts a powerful, predatory and protective creature, with a
fierce nature not to be challenged. The jaw is half-open, as if ready to attack. The udders are full –
which could have meant pregnancy or nurturing of the twins, but indicate in either case a
protective nature.
There is a distinct contrast between the wolf and the twins, added later, which were of the
Renaissance period and less linear, more curved and supple than the mother wolf. While the wolf
is said to draw on the Greek archaic style, the twins are said to be typical of Italian Renaissance
looking back to Hellenistic Greek style. Concerning the former, the angular features, pronounced
muscles, and more simple and reduced portrayal are said to be reminiscent of archaic Greek form.
The latter characters are less harshly portrayed, smoother and less angular. The twins are more
rounded in form.
3. Functional Analysis
As the she-wolf statue’s origin is disputed, its historical function is also difficult to trace. The
statue was mentioned in antiquity, most significantly by Pliny the Elder and Cicero. The former
mentioned a bronze she-wolf appearing in the Roman forum, without mention of the twins. The
latter mentioned a wolf statue several times in his works. One of the mentions includes a baby
suckling on the wolf’s teats.
There have been mentions of the wolf as kept until 1471 at San Teodoro and then on Capitoline
hill. It has been observed at the Lateran Palace in the medieval period, as a presence at the court
of justice, mentioned by Benedict of Soracte in his Chronicon of the 10th Century CE, noting
‘trials and executions’ taking place by the wolf, which are mentioned periodically until around
1450 CE.
In the 12th Century, an essay of Magister Gregorius mentioned the wolf at the Vatican Palace,
seemingly without twins and purported to have served previously as a fountain. It was mentioned
in 1450 as present at the Lateran by G. Rucellai, and taken to the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the
Capitoline, by order of Sixtus the IV in 1473. By the end of the 15th century, the twins had been
added.
4. Historical analysis
One of the most interesting aspects of the Capitoline Wolf is the development of the legend
around it. It is not clear whether the original wolf was intended to represent the Romulus
foundation legend. The Etruscan sculpture dated from a transition period from monarchy to
republic, from Etruscan domination to a less distinct Roman rule. The sculpture itself has
represented the glory of Rome throughout history. It is believed that, early on, it represented the
successful uprising against Etruscan monarchism. Later, it came to represent the military prowess
of the Romans in many subsequent ages.
During the Renaissance, when the twins were added, the Ancient Roman history was of great
importance. During the medieval period, Classical Rome had not been ignored – the concept of
the Holy Roman Empire persisted – however, a return to classical Roman art and philosophy
blossomed in the Renaissance period. While medieval times had included conversion of pagan
structures to Christian and usage of older structures as sources for building materials, the
Renaissance sculptors and architects looked to antiquity for inspiration. It is appropriate that this
was the period in which the twins were added to the sculpture. Jacques Barzun writes,
The ancient temples, the Coliseum, the great memorial arches had been in plain
sight for centuries, but now they were no longer pitiable remnants of paganism;
they were majestic creations to be studied and copied.
Consequently, in the Renaissance time, the wolf with the added twins became a reminder of
ancient Roman glory, which has had a lasting influence in modern times. In the Fascist period,
Mussolini clung to the image as a symbol of Roman glory and used it to promote his own status
as founder of the “New Rome”. He sent copies of the statue to cities in the U.S. to promote
himself among Italian Americans.
Despite the unfortunate connection with fascism, the wolf has endured as a symbol of the glory of
Rome. The Wolf with Twins was used for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and has become
the symbol of the football team A.S. Roma. The story of Romulus and Remus has become forever
associated with the work, whether or not that was its initial purpose.
The piece itself, therefore, has come to be a fusion of different eras in Roman history – Ancient,
Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern, with each period adding its own voice and context to a work
of art which is difficult to place and impossible to interpret in its original sense, layered as it is
with meaning and history. In many ways, what the wolf has come to mean throughout history
characterizes it more than what it may have meant originally.
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~tart/fall2003arth280website/etruscans.html