Transcript Roman Sculpture

Comparative Civilizations 12
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Etruscan sculpture
showed similarities
to Greek Archaic
forms
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Rome was initially
under the control
of the Etruscans, so
its sculpture
mirrored that of
the dominant
society.
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The Greek influence
continued long after
the Romans eclipsed
the Etruscans in the
Italian peninsula.
Further Roman
expansion came at
the cost of Greek
colonies in the
southern boot and
Sicily.
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Copies of Greek
masterpieces were
popular
throughout the
Roman period.
In many cases we
only know the
originals through
these copies.
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The Romans did
not blindly copy
Greek forms.
Their desire to
reproduce accurate
likenesses of their
subjects brought a
new realism to the
art of sculpture.
This realism was
not always
flattering.
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The drive for this
realism probably lay in
Roman ancestor
worship.
Most homes
maintained shrines to
honour their
predecessors.
Death masks were
often housed in these
shrines.
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As in Ancient
Greece, the
Romans glorified
important
personalities in
publicly displayed
sculptures.
Bust of Julius Caesar
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Of particular note
is the technical
prowess of Roman
Sculptors who
produced such
works as this
equestrian statue
of Emperor Marcus
Aurelius.
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Base of the Pillar of Antoninus
Glorification of
public personalities
was not limited to
portrait busts and
statues.
Low relief carving of
monumental pillars
also boasted the
accomplishments of
Roman emperors.
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The most famous
carved pillar is
Trajan’s column.
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A carved spiral
frieze extends from
the base to the top.
Originally the pillar
was topped with a
statue of Trajan,
which was later
replaced with one
of St. Peter
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Curiously, though
the frieze tells the
story of Trajan’s
exploits in fighting
the Dacians, the
image cannot be
read in its entirety.
The upper sections
are simply too high
to be seen
properly.
The spiral frieze.
Note the ventilation
hole in the right
image, allowing
light and air to enter
the staircase.
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It is possible to
enter the column
and ascend the
staircase to an
upper platform,
but even from here
the upper frieze
cannot be seen.
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As is the case with
much ancient
sculpture, the
carvings were
originally painted,
though there is
little evidence of
this in the column
that still stands in
Rome today.
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Another popular
way of glorifying
the exploits of
Roman leaders was
to construct
triumphal arches.
The Arch of Constantine
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Many of these
monuments
survive in Rome to
the present day.
They are decorated
with carvings and
inscriptions
glorifying Roman
martial exploits.
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Curiously, Roman
emperors were not
above the old Egyptian
practice of stealing
commemorative
decorations from their
own predecessors to
decorate their own
monuments.
Constantine’s arch
contains a number of
sculptures removed
from a monument to the
earlier emperor,
Hadrian.
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Many experts suggest
that the best Roman
low relief carving is
found in a work from
the early imperial
period.
This is the Ara Pacis, or
Alter of Augustan
Peace.
Some reckon it to be
the Roman equivalent
of Greece’s Parthenon
frieze.
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Even before
Christianity became
the dominant
religion, there was a
movement away
from realism.
Some argue this
reflects a loss of faith
in the empire
Is this what we see in
the huddled figures
of the Four Tetrarchs
seen to the right?
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By the mid 4th
century, the last
realistic Christian
sculpture was
carved for more
than a thousand
years.
The Good Shepherd
combines Roman
realism with
Christian
symbolism.
The later image of
Constantine and St.
Michael are typical
of the late Roman &
Byzantine periods.