Augustus, The Roman Statue Of Augustus Of Primaporta

Portrait of Augustus as General is a 2.03m high white marble sculpture that made in the 1st century AD, and was discovered on April 20, 1863 at Prima Porta near Rome. Nowadays, it located in the Vatican MuseumIt. The original copy is bronze that made in c.20 B.C.E. Augustus appears as a great winner leader, and a supporter of Roman religion. The sculpture is in contrapposto position, and he is leading his army. He is standing with his right foot forward and his left foot lifted slightly backward. His right hand is upward pointing to his target, and his left hand is relaxed as he were calm and confident. Augustus displays the perfect body of Roman athlete, and it is based on Doryphorus a statue by Polykleitos depicting the perfect proportions

Emperor Augustus commissioned these sculptures around 20 B.C.E. to be distributed around the Empire as propaganda. This statue communicates his ideology and power. Before Augustus came to power, Roman political culture valued older, wiser men for positions of political power. He decided the Roman empire need to return to the classical idea of an emperor who was a strong, youthful military victor. According to Fischer, “...by modeling the Primaporta statue on such an iconic Greek sculpture created during the height of Athens’ influence and power, Augustus connects himself to the Golden Age of that previous civilization.” Both Augustus of Primaporta and Leviathan Zodiac are both trying to curate an idea of power and masculinity. While Augustus of Primaporta propagandistic in nature, Wiley’s work is trying to send out an innocent but powerful message about how we perceive marginalized groups of

From an historical perspective, this piece is an excellent example of early classical Rome. You can sense the respect and admiration that the average Roman citizen had for Augustus, in the fine details of the sculpture.

During this period of time, the sculptures were produced first to celebrate ancient mystery cults and sacrifices of victorious military heroes and then to value the role of the Gods and Goddesses by their power and divinity. As more divine they were, it was considered to be a more religious sculpture piece. The sculptures of Gods and Goddesses were built as a form of remembering them through the years and their impact in the Roman society.

14 As Stamper argues, this is a significant aspect of portraying authority when one an emperor uses precedent of Rome’s founding 15 and this is shown by Augustus in commemorating the temple to Julius Caesar as a sign of celebrating his own triumph. The Temple of Julius Caesar sat on an elevated podium with rostra in front of the colonnade where prows of the ships captured from the Battle at Actium were hung.16 Similarly, the public rostra erected at the opposite site of the Forum also consist of captures obtained from the Battle of Actium and these rostra that faced each other act as a reminder of the glories of the old Republic and the achievements of the restored Rome under its new leader, Augustus.17 To reflect more of the idea of power, Augustus uses different architectural elements to deliver them. Similar to the nearby Temple of Castor and Pollux erected during the Republic, the Temple of Julius Caesar had a pycnostyle composition that consisted of six closely arranged columns with

Bust of Emperor Antonius Pius: Unknown artist (maybe Hadrian?), made AD 138-161, carved from marble.

The Temple of Divus Augustus was a major temple originally built to commemorate the first Roman emperor, Augustus. The temple was built between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, and behind the Basilica Julia. The temple was built on the site of the house where Augustus inhabited before he entered the public life around the mid-1st century BC. It is known from Roman currency that his temple was originally built to a hexagon style design. The size, physical proportions and exact site are unknown. Provincial temples of Augustus, like the smaller Temple of Augustus in Pula, now in Croatia, had already been constructed during his lifetime. Most likely because of the popular resistance to the notion Augustus was not officially adored in Rome until after his death. That’s also when a temple at Nola in Campania, (where he died), seems to have been begun. After that multiple temples were dedicated to him all over the Roman Empire.

Early Roman sculpture, the Ara Pacis consists of a stone table of sacrifice within a walled precinct, whose walls are pierced by entrances on the east and west. The outer sides of its four walls are carved with relief sculpture and all the sculptured sections of the monument are made for luna marble. The main inspiration of the Ara Pacis is High Classical Greek sculpture from the era of the Parthenon and other monuments. The North face features pictures of the inaugural procession. The figures include Augustus, is adoptive son and successor Tiberius, consuls, lictors with their bundles of rods symbolizing Roman authority, priests form the college of the Septemviri epulones, and member of the Collegium. The South Face contains a number of recognizable

Located in the Vatican Museums of Rome is Augustus of Prima Porta. This statue is approximately 2 meters tall, made of marble, and depicts Augustus Caesar of Ancient Rome. The statue is estimated to have been made in the first century AD, and is possibly a replica of an original bronze version of the statue. The artwork was lost for centuries, and the original artist is unknown and may never be determined. It is theorized that the artwork was commissioned by Roman emperor Tiberius (42 BCE-37 AD) to give to his mother as a gift. The statue is currently located in the New Wing of the Vatican Museum in Rome. This branch of the museum was created in the early 20th century following the return of artwork taken by Napoleon. Depending on the time of its creation, ranging from 27 BCE to 37 AD the political system in Rome was an empire ruled by Augustus Caesar or Tiberius Caesar. A work of this significance would not have been created for an ordinary citizen. Historically, sculptures in ancient Rome built upon previous Classical Greek sculptures. Roman sculpting however, strived to make their sculptures more realistic and lifelike. Augustus of Prima Porta embodies this desire for realism in the sculpture. The social climate at the time was strict and traditional. Ancestry, property, and wealth were important aspects in the social structure. The technology at the time of the art’s creation had advanced in the Roman empire from previous western civilizations. Portraits in specific

the origins of the myth of the miraculous suckling of Romulus and Remus. It analyses previous examples and iconographic models and traces the development, during the period of Ancient Rome, of its artistic representation, which kept its symbolic value right up to the end of the ancient period.

The Augustus of Primaporta is a statue that portrays Emperor Augustus in having immense power and purpose. When I strike the pose I truly feel the way Augustus must have felt. I am sticking my beautiful chest plate out and my left leg is swinging forward as if I’m moving into battle. I am not satisfied with what land I have now, no, I want more. I am not simply attacking, I am conquering. I am leading my people into battle and no one can stop me or tell me otherwise. The position feels like I am speaking to motivate my men before going into battle. Every word out of my mouth would receive nothing but the utmost attention from my men as they stare at me with all my glory. With my hand raised my staff in my arm, I would charge and attack wherever

The Arch of Titus conveys to the viewer that the Romans are favored and supported by the gods. Many deities can be seen on this sculpture aiding Roman leaders, and behaving as equals to the Roman emperor Titus. Winged women, symbolizing victory fly in the spandrels, representing that the divine victory is belonging to Rome. On the north panel, divinities are again present with the personification of valor, “virtus”, leading a chariot holding

Equestrian statues would not have been uncommon in ancient Rome due to the fact that they were seen as a way of honoring an emperor for military and city accomplishments. Although there were suggested that at least 22 equestrian statues were seen in early Rome, a great portion of these statues were not kept alive because of their richness in bronze, as we see in the statue of Marcus Aurelius. Many were melted to create other materials, such as coins or newer statues. Some of these statues were also destroyed because Middle Aged Christians saw the statues as a form of paganism. However, the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius survived because it was thought to represent the first Christian Emperor, Constantine. So, if this statue had melted

I chose this statue based on the fact it was commissioned by the victor and yet it shows a great deal of respect to the fallen army. The statue of the Dying Gaul, shows a man in his

In 27 BC Augustus began his political career with a “new policy which embodied a national and Roman spirit” (Galinksy, 1996, 225) and “represented new heights in creativity and sophistication” (Galinksy, 1996, 225). Augustus created a new political propaganda campaign that used art and architecture to promote and enhance his regime. The most fundamental message can be regarded as to establish the legitimacy of his rule and to portray him as the natural successor of Rome, as this is consistently presented throughout the visual programme. Yet factors such as the restoration of the Republic, reviving the old religion, nationalism and militaristic triumph can also be seen to be communicated prominently through art and architecture.