The Revolution of statues and busts of Roman elites
Portraits of different mediums have been created for elite members of society and rulers throughout history, and Rome is no exception. However, over the course of ancient Roman history, portraiture of elites had changed in many ways.
(Head of a Roman patrician, from Otricoli, Italy, ca. 75-50 BCE. Marble, approx. 1'2" high.)
This portrait of an unknown Roman patrician is a prime example of verism, or supperrealism. In this portrait, the artist paid close attention to each wrinkle and ridge of the man's face and made sure to make those imperfections visible. The style of the portrait mirrors the ideals of that time; people had more faith in older and wiser rulers, since they were known to be more serious and have more experience.
(Portrait of a Roman general, from the Sanctuary of Hercules, Tivoli, Italy, ca. 75-50 BCE. Marble, approx. 6'2" high.)
There seems to be an odd mixture of the Roman veristic head and the Greek idealistic body in this portrait of a Roman general. The general has an old face, clad in wrinkles and other signs of age, on top of a youthful, idealistic, Greek body. Perhaps the general wanted to portray himself as not only wise and old, but also young and able to rule.
(Portrait of Augustus as general, from Primaporta, Italy, early first century CE copy of a bronze original of ca. 20 BCE. Marble. 6'8" high.)
Augustus's portrait deviates from the tradition of verism, or at least the notion that old and wise men are better rulers. In this portrait, Augustus's youth is evident in the face and the body. Augustus came to power when he was only nineteen, in 44 BCE. That means that he was 43 when this portrait was made. So, although Augustus grew older and had wrinkles in real life, his portraits still showed a youthful Augustus. Besides the deviation of verism, there are other significant aspects of this portrait. The reliefs on his chest show a scene from one of his victories. At his feet stands Cupid, which symbolizes his divine ancestry.
(Portrait of Vespasian, ca. 75-59 CE. Marble, approx. 1'4" high.)
The portrait of Vespasian deviates from the previous portrait and goes back to verism. One can see his receding hair line and wrinkles. This was perhaps a political request; before him ruled the notorious Nero, and Vespasian wanted to show the Roman people that he was different. Besides showing his difference from Nero through his portraits, Vespasian also showed his difference by draining Nero's lake to build the Colosseum.
(Portrait bust of Hadrian as general, from Tel Shalem, Israel, ca. 130-138 CE. Bronze, approx. 2'11" high.)
The portraits from this time of ancient Roman history sits in the middle ground between verism and idealism. Here, Hadrian is neither wrinkled nor youthful. He is mature. The beard signifies maturity, and will be used for the next century to symbolize the same characteristic.
(Portrait of Marcus Aurelius, detail of a relief from a lost arch, Rome, Italy, ca. 175-180 CE. Marble, approx. life-size.)
Marcus Aurelius follows the beard trend that Hadrian started, but something is quite different about this portrait. The artist of this portrait went over and beyond verism. Marcus Aurelius is not just old, but there is a sense of physical and emotional fatigue in his face. His thoughts and emotions were displayed on the face on this portraiture. Portraiture was not the only medium Marcus Aurelius used to express his thoughts; he wrote Meditations, a philosophical treatise that discusses his personal view of the world. Marcus Aurelius's philosophical character seeps through in this portrait.
(Portrait of Caracalla, ca. 211-217 CE. Marble, approx. 1'2" high.)
This portrait of Caracalla is a continuation of the characterization of portraits set forth by Marcus Aurelius. In real life, Caracalla was an evil, ruthless man who assassinated his wife and his brother, Geta. In this portrait, that same evil can be seen through the maliciousness of his face, such as the eyes and the furrowing eyebrows.
(Portrait bust of Trajan Decius, 249-251 CE. Marble, full bust approx. 2'7" high.)
This is yet another continuation of the characterization of portraits. In this portrait, Trajan Decius has a very saddened and worrisome look, which parallels reality during that time; The third century was a tumultuous from the struggle for power between generals. Trajan Decius has bags under his eyes and wrinkles on his forehead. Unlike the veristic portraits from earlier times, this portrait does not incite a feeling of respect, but rather pity for Trajan. Not only does this portrait show Trajan Decius's anxiety, but it also shows the beginning of the decline of the Roman empire.
(Portraits of the four tetrarchs, from Constantinople. ca. 305 CE. Poryphyry, approx. 4'3" high.)
This portrait was a complete departure from the past portraits. Here, there are four rulers depicted, all in the same way. The individuality from the characterized portraits have disappeared, perhaps to put more emphasis on the more important ideas. These four rulers ruled the Roman empire together. In the portrait, they are shown holding each other, as if to show harmony between the rulers and their lands.
(Portrait of Constantine, from the Basilica Nova, Rome, Italy, ca. 315-330 CE. Marble, approx. 8'6" high.)
This portrait of Constantine is quite different from all the past portraits. It is realistic, but it does not show every wrinkle Constantine had. He is young, but he is not so idealized. He is not characterized with his emotions or thoughts. This portrait is one giant depiction of Constantine. His eyes are avoidant, which disconnects the people and Constantine; but perhaps this was to show that he is really mighty and not of the ordinary viewers. Also, unlike other portraits, this portrait of Constantine is colossal; just the head itself is 8'6".