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{{Sculpture| image= | title=Prima Porta Augustus| type=[Marble| city=Rome-->Augustus of Prima Porta is a 2.04m high marble statue of [Augustus which was discovered on April 20, 1863 in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta, near Rome. His wife Livia Drusilla retired to the Roman villa after his death. The sculpture is now displayed in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums.

Original It is a marble copy of a bronze (or possibly bronze and gold) original. The original, along with other high honours, was voted to Augustus by the Senate in 20 BC and set up in a public place. Up until this time Augustus had lived modestly, but the fact that the statue was found in his widow's villa shows that he was thoroughly pleased with it.

Style Augustus is shown as thoracatus —or commander-in-chief of the Roman army (literally, cuirass-wearer) —, meaning the statue should form part of a commemorative monument to his latest victories; he is in military clothing, carrying a consular baton and raising his right hand to show his Roman triumph laurel crown to his troops. His protective cuirass has reliefs alluding to diverse Roman deities, including Mars god of war, as well as the personifications of the latest territories conquered by him: Hispania, Gaul, Germania, Parthia (that had humiliated Crassus, and here appears in the act of returning the standards stolen from his legions) and at the top the chariot of the Sun illuminates Augustus's deeds.

The statue is an idealized image of Augustus based on the fifth-century BC Doryphoros by Polykleitos, with a portrait head that recalls Republican Roman portraits.Compare the Orator in the Museo Archeologico in Florence. The Doryphoros's contraposto stance, creating diagonals between tense and relaxed limbs, a feature typical of classical sculpture, is adapted here. The misidentification of the Doryphoros in the Roman period as the warrior Achilles made the model all the more appropriate for this image. Despite the Republican influence in the portrait head, the overall style is closer to Hellenistic idealisation than to Roman realism.

Despite the accuracy with which Augustus' features are depicted (with his sombre look and characteristic fringe), the distant and tranquil expression of his face has been idealized, as have the conventional contrapposto, the anatomical proportions and the deep drape of paludamentum. On the other hand, Augustus's barefootedness and the inclusion of Cupid reveal the clear Greek inspiration in style and symbol for official sculptural portraits, which under the Roman emperors became instruments of governmental propaganda. Such a statue's political function was very obvious - to show Rome that the emperor Augustus was an exceptional figure, comparable to the heroes worthy of being raised to divine status on Olympus, and the best man to govern Rome.

Polychromy It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally polychrome, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that we have to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence.

Iconography Portrait The haircut is almost completely made up of individually divided, thick strands of hair, as well as a strand directly over the middle of Augustus's forehead framed by other strands over it. From the left two strands stray onto the forehead, and from the right three strands, a hairstyle first found on this statue. This hairstyle also marks this statue out as Augustus from comparison with his portrait on his coinage, which can also give a date to it. (Coins were one of the most effective ways of spreading propaganda, such as news of decisive battles and changes of ruler, because on such occasions new coins would be minted.) Other hairstyles of Augustus may be seen on the Ara Pacis, for example.

The face is idealized, as with those of Polyclitus's statues. Art underwent important changes during Augustus's reign, with the extreme realism that dominated the republican era giving way to Greek influence, as seen in the portraits of the emperors - idealizations summarizing all the virtues that should be possessed by the exceptional man worthy of governing the Empire) In earlier portraits, Augustus allowed himself to be portrayed in monarchical fashion, but amended these with later more diplomatic images that represented him as "primus inter pares". The head and neck were produced separately in Parian marble and inserted to the torso.

Breastplate relief The statue's iconography is frequently compared to that of the carmen saeculare by Horace, and commemorates Augustus's establishment of the pax Romana. The breastplate is carved in relief with numerous small figures depicting the return of the Roman legionary standards or vexillae lost to Parthia by Mark Anthony in the 40s BC and by Crassus in 53 BC, thanks to the diplomacy of Augustus.

In the centre, one - at least according to the most common interpretation - sees the subjected Parthian king returning Crassus's standard to an armored Roman (possibly Mars Ultor). This was a very popular subject in Augustan propaganda, as one of his greatest international successes, and had to be especially strongly emphasized, since Augustus had been deterred by Parthian military strength from the war which the Roman people had expected and instead opted for diplomacy. To the left and right sit mourning female figures. A figure to one side with a sheathed sword personifies the peoples in the East (and the Teutons?) forced to pay tribute to Rome, and one on the other side with an unsheathed sword obviously personifies the subjected peoples (the Celts). From the top, clockwise, we see:

None of these interpretations are undisputed. The gods, however, probably all symbolize the continuity and logical consistency of the events - just as the sun and moon forever rise, so Roman successes are certain and divinely sanctioned. Furthermore, these successes are connected with the wearer of this breastplate, Augustus. The only active person is the Parthian king, implying that everything else is divinely desired and ordained.

Divine? During his lifetime, Augustus did not wish to be depicted as a god (unlike the later emperors who embraced divinity), but this statue has many thinly-veiled references to the emperor's "divine nature", his genius. Augustus is shown barefoot, which indicates that he is a hero#Classical hero cults and perhaps even a god, and also adds a civilian aspect to an otherwise military portrait. Being barefoot was only previously allowed on images of the gods, but it may also imply that the statue is a posthumous copy set up by Livia of a statue from the city of Rome in which Augustus was not barefoot.

The small Cupid (son of Venus) at his feet (riding on a dolphin, Venus's patron animal) is a reference to the claim that the gens Julia were descended from the goddess Venus (mythology), made by both Augustus and by his adoptive father Julius Caesar - a way of claiming divine lineage without claiming the full divine status, which was acceptable in the Greek East but not yet in Rome itself.

Type - example of the Togatus type (Louvre)The Prima Porta-type of statues of Augustus became the prevailing representational style for him, copied full-length and in busts in various versions found throughout the empire up until his death in 14. The copies never showed Augustus looking older, however, but represented him as forever young, in line with his propaganda goals.

Other types Other iconographic types of imperial portraiture, of which this was only one, included the emperor as pontifex maximus (eg the Via Labicana Augustus), the emperor as absolute leader in civil life and as "first among equals" among the senators ("Togatus", or toga-wearing), as conquering general on horseback (the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius), and - usually posthumously, after his apotheosis - as a god (half-naked, personifying a Roman god - this type is prefigured by the Prima Porta statue, in that it is barefoot).

Bibliography In German

References External links {{Sculpture| image= | title=Prima Porta Augustus| type=[Marble| city=Rome-->Augustus of Prima Porta is a 2.04m high marble statue of [Augustus which was discovered on April 20, 1863 in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta, near Rome. His wife Livia Drusilla retired to the Roman villa after his death. The sculpture is now displayed in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums.

Original It is a marble copy of a bronze (or possibly bronze and gold) original. The original, along with other high honours, was voted to Augustus by the Senate in 20 BC and set up in a public place. Up until this time Augustus had lived modestly, but the fact that the statue was found in his widow's villa shows that he was thoroughly pleased with it.

Style Augustus is shown as thoracatus —or commander-in-chief of the Roman army (literally, cuirass-wearer) —, meaning the statue should form part of a commemorative monument to his latest victories; he is in military clothing, carrying a consular baton and raising his right hand to show his Roman triumph laurel crown to his troops. His protective cuirass has reliefs alluding to diverse Roman deities, including Mars god of war, as well as the personifications of the latest territories conquered by him: Hispania, Gaul, Germania, Parthia (that had humiliated Crassus, and here appears in the act of returning the standards stolen from his legions) and at the top the chariot of the Sun illuminates Augustus's deeds.

The statue is an idealized image of Augustus based on the fifth-century BC Doryphoros by Polykleitos, with a portrait head that recalls Republican Roman portraits.Compare the Orator in the Museo Archeologico in Florence. The Doryphoros's contraposto stance, creating diagonals between tense and relaxed limbs, a feature typical of classical sculpture, is adapted here. The misidentification of the Doryphoros in the Roman period as the warrior Achilles made the model all the more appropriate for this image. Despite the Republican influence in the portrait head, the overall style is closer to Hellenistic idealisation than to Roman realism.

Despite the accuracy with which Augustus' features are depicted (with his sombre look and characteristic fringe), the distant and tranquil expression of his face has been idealized, as have the conventional contrapposto, the anatomical proportions and the deep drape of paludamentum. On the other hand, Augustus's barefootedness and the inclusion of Cupid reveal the clear Greek inspiration in style and symbol for official sculptural portraits, which under the Roman emperors became instruments of governmental propaganda. Such a statue's political function was very obvious - to show Rome that the emperor Augustus was an exceptional figure, comparable to the heroes worthy of being raised to divine status on Olympus, and the best man to govern Rome.

Polychromy It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally polychrome, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that we have to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence.

Iconography Portrait The haircut is almost completely made up of individually divided, thick strands of hair, as well as a strand directly over the middle of Augustus's forehead framed by other strands over it. From the left two strands stray onto the forehead, and from the right three strands, a hairstyle first found on this statue. This hairstyle also marks this statue out as Augustus from comparison with his portrait on his coinage, which can also give a date to it. (Coins were one of the most effective ways of spreading propaganda, such as news of decisive battles and changes of ruler, because on such occasions new coins would be minted.) Other hairstyles of Augustus may be seen on the Ara Pacis, for example.

The face is idealized, as with those of Polyclitus's statues. Art underwent important changes during Augustus's reign, with the extreme realism that dominated the republican era giving way to Greek influence, as seen in the portraits of the emperors - idealizations summarizing all the virtues that should be possessed by the exceptional man worthy of governing the Empire) In earlier portraits, Augustus allowed himself to be portrayed in monarchical fashion, but amended these with later more diplomatic images that represented him as "primus inter pares". The head and neck were produced separately in Parian marble and inserted to the torso.

Breastplate relief The statue's iconography is frequently compared to that of the carmen saeculare by Horace, and commemorates Augustus's establishment of the pax Romana. The breastplate is carved in relief with numerous small figures depicting the return of the Roman legionary standards or vexillae lost to Parthia by Mark Anthony in the 40s BC and by Crassus in 53 BC, thanks to the diplomacy of Augustus.

In the centre, one - at least according to the most common interpretation - sees the subjected Parthian king returning Crassus's standard to an armored Roman (possibly Mars Ultor). This was a very popular subject in Augustan propaganda, as one of his greatest international successes, and had to be especially strongly emphasized, since Augustus had been deterred by Parthian military strength from the war which the Roman people had expected and instead opted for diplomacy. To the left and right sit mourning female figures. A figure to one side with a sheathed sword personifies the peoples in the East (and the Teutons?) forced to pay tribute to Rome, and one on the other side with an unsheathed sword obviously personifies the subjected peoples (the Celts). From the top, clockwise, we see:

None of these interpretations are undisputed. The gods, however, probably all symbolize the continuity and logical consistency of the events - just as the sun and moon forever rise, so Roman successes are certain and divinely sanctioned. Furthermore, these successes are connected with the wearer of this breastplate, Augustus. The only active person is the Parthian king, implying that everything else is divinely desired and ordained.

Divine? During his lifetime, Augustus did not wish to be depicted as a god (unlike the later emperors who embraced divinity), but this statue has many thinly-veiled references to the emperor's "divine nature", his genius. Augustus is shown barefoot, which indicates that he is a hero#Classical hero cults and perhaps even a god, and also adds a civilian aspect to an otherwise military portrait. Being barefoot was only previously allowed on images of the gods, but it may also imply that the statue is a posthumous copy set up by Livia of a statue from the city of Rome in which Augustus was not barefoot.

The small Cupid (son of Venus) at his feet (riding on a dolphin, Venus's patron animal) is a reference to the claim that the gens Julia were descended from the goddess Venus (mythology), made by both Augustus and by his adoptive father Julius Caesar - a way of claiming divine lineage without claiming the full divine status, which was acceptable in the Greek East but not yet in Rome itself.

Type - example of the Togatus type (Louvre)The Prima Porta-type of statues of Augustus became the prevailing representational style for him, copied full-length and in busts in various versions found throughout the empire up until his death in 14. The copies never showed Augustus looking older, however, but represented him as forever young, in line with his propaganda goals.

Other types Other iconographic types of imperial portraiture, of which this was only one, included the emperor as pontifex maximus (eg the Via Labicana Augustus), the emperor as absolute leader in civil life and as "first among equals" among the senators ("Togatus", or toga-wearing), as conquering general on horseback (the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius), and - usually posthumously, after his apotheosis - as a god (half-naked, personifying a Roman god - this type is prefigured by the Prima Porta statue, in that it is barefoot).

Bibliography In German

References External links

 

Augustus Of Prima Porta



 
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