![]() ![]() The statue’s legs are in a Doryphoros-like position. The contrapposto pose of the Doryphoros is applied here, generating diagonals between stiff and relaxed limbs, a motif common in ancient art. Photograph of the Augustus of Prima Porta statue (1920) Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons The statue is an idealized representation of Augustus in a conventional Roman orator’s posture, based on the artist Polykleitos’ “Doryphoros” statue from the 5th century BC. ![]() Augustus’ deeds are illuminated at the top by the Sun’s chariot. The bas-reliefs on his plated cuirass have a complicated metaphorical and political purpose, referring to a variety of Roman deities, notably Mars, the god of battle, as well as embodiments of the most recent regions he conquered. It’s also probable that Livia, Augustus’s wife at the moment of his death, sponsored it.Īugustus is depicted in his function as “Imperator,” or army leader, implying that the sculpture should be part of a memorial monument to his recent successes he is dressed in military garb, wielding a consular baton, and commanding the troops with his right hand raised in a rhetorical stance. The breastplate motif would remind spectators of Tiberius’ relationship with the venerated emperor and establish a connection between both regimes, as this deed was the greatest tribute he had rendered to Augustus. This theory is supported by the fact that Tiberius, who acted as a middleman in the eagles’ rescue, is also shown on the cuirass. The “Augustus” statue could have been ordered by Tiberius, Augustus’s successor.Īugustus of Prima Porta statue (1st century AD), located in the Vatican Museums Vatican Museums, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The marble duplicate would have been made somewhere between that period and Livia’s death in 29 AD. Augustus’ barefooted image is meant to be a divine representation since this was a common portrayal of deities or warriors in classical imagery. As a result, the bronze original was most likely created after 20 BC. The artwork alludes to Augustus’ most major diplomatic achievement, the Parthian reinstatement of the Roman eagles in 20 BC. The sculpture has become the most well-known of Augustus’ representations and one of the most renowned statues of the ancient world since its unearthing. The figure, sculpted by master Greek artists, is said to be a replica of a missing bronze piece once on exhibit in Rome. The sculpture was unearthed on the 20th of April, 1863, at the Villa of Livia during archaeological investigations led by Giuseppe Gagliardi. ![]()
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