Emp & Lit Lecture (History 7)

Overview of Roman Sculpture

• Roman sculpture is characterized by two distinctive features: realistic portraiture and historical reliefs.

Realistic Portraiture

• Normal Citizens and Prominent Romans: Roman sculpture portrayed both ordinary citizens and famous Romans.

• Medium of Representation:

  • Commonly depicted in funerary monuments and reliefs.

  • Busts represent portraits of individuals, primarily made to commemorate political achievements.

• Statue Types:

  • A bust is a sculpture showing just the head and part of the shoulders.

  • Full-sized statues sometimes commissioned by citizens to commemorate their lives or achievements.

• Commissioning Statues:

  • Statues often commissioned by individuals for personal remembrance or family honor.

  • Reflect a person's social standing; exceptional amounts were spent on realistic portraits, while generic figures were less costly.

• Statues in the Provinces:

  • Statues celebrating the acquisition of Roman citizenship in provinces highlighted social status, often commemorating the moment of becoming a citizen.

• Emperor Portraits:

  • Realistic yet idealized statues of emperors were made to ensure recognition due to the public’s familiarity with the individuals.

  • Statues often featured individualized heads placed on standardized, generic bodies that communicated attributes of citizenship and virtue.

Special Features of Statues

• Economic Aspects:

  • Token statues with detachable heads allowed for economic production and adaptability:

    • Local communities updated statues reflecting the reigning emperor saving costs.

• Idealized vs. Realistic Portraiture:

  • Idealized portraits often depicted emperors in god-like forms, such as Claudius styled as Jupiter, which contrasted with their actual features (e.g., disabilities).

• Late Republican and Early Imperial Trends:

  • Late Republican statutes highlighted both individual traits and represented virtues, becoming more realistic during the Flavian dynasty emphasizing military and common virtues.

Historical Reliefs

• Roman sculpture famously represents historical events, a detail not commonly found in Greek art.

• Examples of Historical Reliefs:

  • The Column of Trajan depicts Rome's military campaigns dramatically and engagingly, focusing on real events.

• Mythological vs Real:

  • Unlike the Greeks, Romans preferred direct representation of historical events over mythological allegories.

  • The Monument of Aemilius Paulus serves as a blend showcasing Greek influence and Roman realism through depiction of a specific victory.

Censorship and Historical Events

• Reliefs also recorded significant societal events, employing mythological elements, while focusing on human figures and their actions.

• Differences between Greek and Roman approaches highlight the Roman emphasis on civic (realistic) themes compared to Greek mythological themes.

Funerary Reliefs

• Romans adopted the Etruscan practice of creating decorated sarcophagi but developed unique traditions highlighting personal legacy.

• Two Types of Sarcophagus:

  • Decorated with floral patterns or mythological scenes and depicted the deceased's life achievements.

  • Simpler sarcophagus styles with lifelike portrait casts of freedmen, showcasing their likeness thoroughly without idealization.

• Civic Display:

  • Family tombs served as public markers of wealth, emphasizing the social standing of the deceased in society.

• The shift to individualized portrayals reflects the socio-economic changes in Roman society, giving freedmen a sense of inclusion in commemorative practices.