Chapter 13 - Hannah's List



Bust of Antoninus Pius p. 189

Made of marble around 140 CE, he wears a beard and tilts his head slightly to the left. His hair is curly, and some of his locks were accentuated with a drill. The drill was also used to show his pupils, as in late Hadrianic portraits such as that of Sabina. Thought mature, his features are blemishless like Trajan and Hadrian. Like them, he also never aged in his portraits.

Bust of Faustina the Elder p. 189

Though depicted as a mature woman, her features are flawless in her portraits. Her half-mast eyes are characteristic of her family. Her portraits resemble those of the Trajanic household more than of those of Sabina. Her portraits were meant to convey a matronly air. It was made around 140 CE out of marble.

Bust of Marcus Aurelius p. 191

Made around 140 CE out of marble, Marcus Aurelius, like the sons of Vespasian, gradually aged in his portraits from young boy to adult emperor. Unlike previous emperors, he continued to age in his portraits until his death at age 59. His heavy eyelids and curly hair are depicted.

Bust of Commodus as Hercules p. 193

Commodus, a tyrannical ruler in the fashion of Caligula or Nero, believed himself to be Hercules and forced the Senate into naming him Hercules Romanus and declaring him a god. This portrait depicts as Hercules with the lion and apples. A cornucopia and some Amazons are at his feet. The portrait is meant to portray the emperor as the source of plenty in the Empire, the conqueror of the barbarian world and a god on earth. Such themes were actually common since Augustus.

Triumph of Marcus Aurelius (Image 13-21) p. 198 (The section that discusses fig.13-21)

The triumph panel depicts Victory placing a wreath on Marcus’ head, as in the Flavian triumph. It is similar to the panels on the Arch of Titus, only with a vertical orientation. Marcus is shown driving a four horse chariot. Commodus, Marcus’ son, was originally depicted next to him but he was eventually chiseled out, replaced by some awkward carvings of the temple steps and Marcus’ left arm.

Column of Marcus Aurelius pages 199-201

In front of Marcus’ temple, Commodus placed a commemorative column modeled after Trajan’s column. It also is a spiral frieze that depicts Marcus’ campaigns in the North against the Germans and Sarmatians. In contrast to Trajan’s columns, it depicts much less of the mundanities of war and more of the action and also depicts the enemy as effortlessly depicted as opposed to noble and formidable. Instead of being engaged in the scenes, Marcus looks out at the viewer, detached from his surroundings. This would eventually become the norm in imperial sculpture.