CIRCA LATE 2ND-EARLY 3RD CENTURY A.D.

Details

A MONUMENTAL ROMAN BRONZE FIGURE OF AN EMPEROR
Circa Late 2nd-Early 3rd Century A.D.
Depicted in heroic nudity, the superbly-cast figure shown in Polykleitan contrapposto, stepping forward with his weight on his right leg, the left leg bent at the knee, the toes touching the ground, the heel lifted, the right arm originally raised, perhaps once holding a spear or sceptre-staff, the left arm lowered and bent at the elbow, the forearm projecting forward, perhaps once holding an attribute, the muscular figure exquisitely modelled, with attention to the fine contours of his body, complete with extensive naturalistic treatment of the details
71½ in. (181.6 cm.) high

Provenance

with George Zakos, Switzerland.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lipson, Boston, 1960s.
with Merrin Gallery, New York, 1987.
New York Private Collection

Literature

S.Reahard, ed., Ancient art from private collections, Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1974, no. 3.
C.C. Vermeule, "The Late Antonine and Severan Bronze Portraits from Southwest Asia" in Eikones Festschrift für Hans Jucker, Bern (1980), pp. 185-190, no. C.
Ancient Art, The Rutgers University Art Gallery, 1981, no. 13.
E. Cunningham, ed., Alumni Magazine, Rutgers, July 1984, p. 13.
A.P. Kozloff, The Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art, Volume 74, March 1987, pp. 142-143, fig. 3.

Exhibited

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, 1967-1970.
Indianapolis, Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1971-1974.
Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Art, 1976-1980.
Camden, Rutgers University Art Gallery, 1981-1985.

Sale room notice

Please note additional literature:
S.Reahard, ed., Ancient art from private collections, Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1974, no. 3.
Ancient Art, The Rutgers University Art Gallery, 1981, no. 13.
E. Cunningham, ed., Alumni Magazine, Rutgers, July 1984, p. 13.

Lot Essay

Although the absence of the head and attributes makes identification of this bronze impossible, the heroic or larger than life-size scale is unlikely for an athlete, thus narrowing the choice to emperor, god or hero. The pose is well known for depictions of emperors, especially during the Antonine and Severan Periods, when large-scale dedications to the Imperial Family were common. See for example the figure of Lucius Verus, no. 50 in Mattusch, The Fire of Hephaistos, Large Classical Bronzes from North American Collections.

According to Mattusch (op. cit. p. 331), "By the latter part of the second century A.D., the youthful, standing nude had been a common statue type for nearly seven centuries and would have been familiar to all viewers. This formula- the strong, young, authoritative figure- could be used interchangeably to represent gods, heroes, victors, and rulers. Slight variations of gesture and changes of attributes allowed for an abundance of interpretations, all of them easily readable by the general public. A statue representing Lucius Verus at age thirty-eight or Marcus Aurelius at age fifty-four would have the same standard body, one which was indiscriminately youthful and in prime condition. The viewer's recognition of the ruler depended primarily upon the portrait head affixed to that body and the accompanying inscriptions. Gestures, clothes, and attributes were used to convey more about the specific role the emperor was playing, the message he was delivering, or the occasion for which the statue was erected."

There are only very few such bronzes surviving from antiquity, nearly all of which are institutionally owned.

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