2. Roman art: Introduction
• The first Roman art can be
dated back to 509 B.C.E., with
the legendary founding of the
Roman Republic
• Roman art encompasses media
including marble, painting,
mosaic, gems, silver, bronze
work, and terracottas, just to
name a few.
View of the Roman forum, looking toward
the Colosseum (photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-
NC-SA 2.0)
3. Roman art: Influences
• The city of Rome was a melting pot,
and the Romans had no qualms about
adapting artistic but one of the
challenges for specialists is to define
what is “Roman” about Roman art.
• Greek art certainly had a powerful
influence on Roman practice such
that Romans commissioned versions
of famous Greek works from earlier
centuries.
Doryphoros (Spear Bearer), Roman copy after an
original by the Greek sculptor Polykleitos from c. 450–
40 B.C.E., marble, 211 cm high (Archaeological
Museum, Naples; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA
2.0)
4. Roman art: Republican
Period
• In the Republican period, art
was produced in the service of
the state, depicting public
sacrifices or celebrating
victorious military campaigns.
• Portraiture extolled the
communal goals of the Republic;
hard work, age, wisdom, being a
community leader and soldier.
Monument of Aemilius Paullus at Delphi
5. Roman art:
Imperial Period
• Augustus’s rise to power in Rome
signaled the end of the Roman
Republic and the formation of
Imperial rule.
• Roman art was now put to the
service of aggrandizing the ruler and
his family. It was also meant to
indicate shifts in leadership.
Augustus of Primaporta, 1st century C.E. (Vatican
Museums; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
6. Roman art:
Imperial Period
• Imperial art often hearkened back to the
Classical art of the past. “Classical”, or
“Classicizing,” when used in reference to
Roman art refers broadly to the
influences of Greek art from the Classical
and Hellenistic periods (480–31 B.C.E.).
• Classicizing elements include the smooth
lines, elegant drapery, idealized nude
bodies, highly naturalistic forms and
balanced proportions that the Greeks
had perfected over centuries of practice.
Relief from the Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan
Peace), 9 B.C.E. monument is dedicated, marble (Museo
dell'Ara Pacis, Rome; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA
2.0)
7. Roman art:
Imperial Period
• The emperor Hadrian was known as a
philhellene, or lover of all things
Greek. The emperor himself began
sporting a Greek “philosopher’s beard”
in his official portraiture, unheard of
before this time.
• Décor at his rambling Villa at Tivoli
included mosaic copies of famous
Greek paintings, such as Battle of the
Centaurs and Wild Beasts by the
legendary ancient Greek painter
Zeuxis.
Pair of Centaurs Fighting Cats of Prey from
Hadrian's Villa, mosaic, c. 130 C.E. (Altes
Museum, Berlin, photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-
NC-SA 2.0)
8. Chariot procession of Septimus
Severus, relief from the attach
of the Arch of Septimus
Severus, Leptis Magna, Libya,
203 C.E., marble, 167 cm high
(Red Castle Museum, Tripoli)
Roman art:
Imperial Period
• Later Imperial art moved away from
earlier Classical influences, and Severan
art signals the shift to art of Late
Antiquity. The characteristics of Late
Antique art include frontality, stiffness
of pose and drapery, deeply drilled
lines, less naturalism, squat
proportions, and lack of individualism.
• Important figures are often slightly
larger or are placed above the rest of
the crowd to denote importance.
Chariot procession of Septimus Severus, relief from
the attach of the Arch of Septimus Severus, Leptis
Magna, Libya, 203 C.E., marble, 167 cm high (Red
Castle Museum, Tripoli)
9. Roman art:
Imperial Period
• Constantinian art continued to
integrate the elements of Late
Antiquity that had been introduced in
the Severan period.
• For example, on the oratio relief panel
on the Arch of Constantine, the figures
are even more squat, frontally oriented,
similar to one another, and there is a
clear lack of naturalism. Again, the
message is meant to be understood
without hesitation: Constantine is in
power. Relief from the Arch of Constantine, 315 C.E.,
Rome (photo: F. Tronchin, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
10. Roman art:
Who made them?
• Because of a lack of documentary
evidence such as contracts or letters,
we don’t know much about who
made Roman art.
• Evidence pays little attention to
contemporary artists and often
focuses more on the Greek artists of
the past. As a result, scholars do not
refer to specific artists but consider
them generally, as a largely
anonymous group.
Painted Garden, removed from the triclinium (dining
room) in the Villa of Livia Drusilla, Prima Porta, fresco, 30–
20 B.C.E. (Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo,
Rome; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
11. • Wall paintings, mosaics, and
sculptural displays were all
incorporated seamlessly with small
luxury items such as bronze figurines
and silver bowls.
• The subject matter ranged from busts
of important ancestors to
mythological and historical scenes,
still lifes, and landscapes—all to
create the idea of an erudite patron
steeped in culture.
Roman art:
What did they make?
Statue of the Aphrodite of Knidos, 2nd century
12. Roman art:
What did they make?
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus: Battle of Romans and
Barbarians, c. 250–60 C.E., preconneus marble,
150 cm high (Palazzo Altemps: Museo Nazionale
Romano, Rome; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-
SA 2.0)
• When Romans died, they left behind
imagery. Funerary imagery often
emphasized unique physical traits or
trade, partners or favored deities.
• Roman funerary art spans several
media. It included portrait busts, wall
reliefs set into working-class group
tombs (like those at Ostia), and elite
decorated tombs (like the Ludovisi
Battle Sarcophagus).
13. • The public sphere is filled with works
commissioned by the emperors such
as portraits of the imperial family.
• There are also commemorative works
like arches and columns (like the Arch
of Titus or the Column of Trajan),
marked victories, depicted war, and
described military life.
Roman art:
What did they make?
Column of Trajan, Carrera marble, completed 113 C.E.,
Rome, dedicated to Emperor Trajan in honor of his
victory over Dacia (now Romania) 101–02 and 105–06
C.E. (photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
14. Roman art:
Other Famous Examples
Cameo Portraying Emperor Claudius as Jupiter, Cameo:
Roman, mid-first century
Mount: Italian, late 16th century
• This intricate cameo, expertly carved
from a piece of sardonyx, a type of
banded hardstone, combines a portrait
of Emperor Claudius with the idealized
supreme deity Jupiter (the Greek’s
Zeus).
• The cameo boldly equated Claudius’s
power over the Roman Empire to that
of Jupiter over the entire cosmos.
15. Roman art:
Other Famous Examples
Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath, Roman Period,
early to mid–2nd century
• One noteworthy exception is a group
of naturalistic portraits produced in
Roman-ruled Egypt for use in
mummification.
• Typically painted on thin wooden
boards using pigments mixed with
beeswax, such portraits were placed
over the deceased’s face and secured
with linen wrappings.
16. Roman art:
Famous Examples
Mosaic Floor Panel Depicting a Bound Rooster, 2nd
century
• Roman houses were frequently adorned
with wall paintings and floor mosaics.
• The bound rooster in this panel, notable
for its naturalistic representation and
subtle use of color, might have
represented the abundance of livestock
that was available on the host’s estate,
which could be consumed at a meal or
sold for a profit.
17. Roman art:
Other Famous Examples
Solidus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Constantine I,
Late 324-early 325, issued by Constantine I
• This coin, minted soon after
Constantine became sole emperor,
depicts him with a youthful, clean-
shaven face and a hairstyle of thick
locks arranged over his forehead.
• These features deliberately evoked
the appearance of earlier, celebrated
emperors, visually tying his reign to
his esteemed predecessors’.
18. Roman art:
Other Famous Examples
Portrait Bust of a Woman, Mid–2nd century
• The identity of the woman depicted in
this portrait is not known, but her
distinguished appearance suggests that
she held a prominent position in
Roman society.
• Her elaborate hairstyle, her richly
textured clothing and intricate
headband—carved to suggest that it
was studded with gemstones—further
attest to her wealth and status.
19. Roman art:
Other Famous Examples
Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil), 1st century
• This tall, narrow vessel is an
example of an alabastron, a type
of bottle widely used in the
ancient Mediterranean world to
hold precious oils and perfumes.
• While most alabastra have
rounded, bulbous bottoms, this
example is noteworthy because it
tapers to an elongated point,
requiring it to be placed in a stand
for use.
20. Roman art:
Other Famous Examples
Relief Plaque, Early 1st century
• This relief plaque is a type of
architectural decoration that was
employed primarily in Rome and
central Italy in the early Roman Empire
and created in terracotta using molds.
• The plaques were painted, making
them easier to see when viewed from
below. This particular plaque preserves
microscopic traces of yellow and red
pigment, suggesting that it was once
painted.
21. Roman art:
Other Famous Examples
Statuette of an Enthroned Figure, 1st century
• Most Roman homes had domestic
shrines, called lararia, which included
bronze statuettes of the household
gods (the Lares) and other deities
venerated by members of the family.
• Scientific analysis suggests that the
figure and the throne were not created
as a pair but were found in the same
burial site. Presumably, the throne
originally belonged to another seated
figure displayed in the same setting.
