Lightboxes
Cart
alb3623032

Marble portrait of the emperor Caracalla

Marble portrait of the emperor Caracalla. Culture: Roman. Dimensions: H. 14 1/4 in. ( 36.2 cm). Date: A.D. 212-217. Caracalla took the official name of M. Aurelius Antoninus Pius as part of the Severan dynasty's attempt to appear as the legitimate and worthy successors of the secondcentury Antonine emperors. Despite this, in his official portraiture, he abandoned the luxuriant hair and beard of his predecessors for a military style characterized by closely cropped curls and a stubble beard. An ancient source records that on his deathbed, his father Septimius Severus advised Caracalla to "enrich the soldiers and despise everyone else." This finely carved head is a powerful rendering of the official portrait and was probably produced at an imperial workshop, since the statue fragments are said to have been found in Rome. It is from a statue, the legs of which also survive and are displayed in the Study Collection on the Mezzanine Floor.
Share
pinterestPinterest
twitterTwitter
facebookFacebook
emailEmail

Add to another lightbox

Add to another lightbox
add to lightbox print share
Do you already have an account? Sign in
You do not have an account? Register
Buy this image. Select the use:
Loading...
Title:
Marble portrait of the emperor Caracalla
Caption:
Marble portrait of the emperor Caracalla. Culture: Roman. Dimensions: H. 14 1/4 in. ( 36.2 cm). Date: A.D. 212-217. Caracalla took the official name of M. Aurelius Antoninus Pius as part of the Severan dynasty's attempt to appear as the legitimate and worthy successors of the secondcentury Antonine emperors. Despite this, in his official portraiture, he abandoned the luxuriant hair and beard of his predecessors for a military style characterized by closely cropped curls and a stubble beard. An ancient source records that on his deathbed, his father Septimius Severus advised Caracalla to "enrich the soldiers and despise everyone else." This finely carved head is a powerful rendering of the official portrait and was probably produced at an imperial workshop, since the statue fragments are said to have been found in Rome. It is from a statue, the legs of which also survive and are displayed in the Study Collection on the Mezzanine Floor.
Technique/material:
Marble
Period:
Severan
Museum:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Location:
ROMAN EMPIRE
Credit:
Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Releases:
? Model Release: No - ? Property Release: No
Rights questions?
Image size:
3202 x 4268 px | 39.1 MB
Print size:
27.1 x 36.1 cm | 10.7 x 14.2 in (300 dpi)
Keywords: