Roman sculpture refers to the sculpture of Ancient Rome. Although Roman sculpture initially copied much from Greek sculpture just as Greeks had originally copied from late Egyptians, it eventually became its distinct form of sculpture, which more emphasised the individual. Much Roman sculpture survives, although some of it is damaged. There are many surviving sculptures of Roman emperors. While Roman sculpture copied from the Greeks, it emphasized the individual to a greater extent, and many busts of famous but also anonymous people have survived. Tombstones of rich citizens often exhibit portraits of the deceased carved in relief, and sarcophagi may also be richly decorated.
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History
Classical Roman sculpture began with the sack of Syracuse in 212 BC during the Second Punic War with Carthage. A wealthy outpost of Greek civilization on the island of Sicily, Syracuse was thoroughly plundered and most of its magnificent Hellenistic sculpture was taken to Rome where it replaced the earlier styles of the Etruscan tradition. The Romans who continued to admire the Hellenistic style, and eventually workshops throughout the Greek world (especially Asia Minor) provided the statuary without which no patrician villa was complete.
Greek artists settled in Rome after Greece was conquered in 146 BC, and many of these began making copies of Greek sculptures, which were popular in Rome.
Many sculptures were made of the Emperor Augustus which portrayed him as a young man, and at later stages of his life. Busts of following emperors were common and widely distributed.
During Emperor Trajan's time, art from the eastern provinces of the empire began to have more influence on Roman sculpture. Another example of Roman sculpture on a monumental scale is the frieze of the Arch of Constantine.
The Romans made sculptures, oftenly trying to record past important people or heroic figures. The Gods are a type of example that various sculptures have been constructed for. There are remains of them still to this day.
Relief sculptures
Relief sculptures were shallow three dimensional carvings on flat surfaces, used for architectural works such as columns, arches and Temples. Mythological secenes as well as those of hunting and battles were common subjects, allowing for display of skill in carving and composition in very complex arrangements of largew numbers of figures. A rather atypical example of this type of sculpture is the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) from 13 - 9 B.C, a political monument to the Pax Romana (The Roman Peace), of peace and prosperity ushered in by the Emperor Augustus.
A famous later example of relief sculpture is Trajan's Column, dating from 106 - 113 A.D. adorned with scenes of Trajan's battles from the wars in Dacia in a continuous spiral around the column. The frieze shows numerous incidents from the campaigns, with many details showing soldiers at work, such as building forts or manning ballistae. A plaster replica of the column is exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The Column of Marcus Aurelius is another example of the genre. Also sculptures portrayed Gods and Goddesses.
Free standing sculpture
The most important free standing sculptures were statues. Most Roman statues were destroyed during the many barbarian invasions of the empire, or by Christian rebuilding. The marble was burned for lime and the very valuable bronze melted down for re-use.
An outstanding example of a piece that survived is the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Aurelius on a horse), dating from 161 - 180 A.D. This was probably preserved because it was thought to be of Constantine, so spared by the Christian authorities who eventually destroyed most statues of pagan emperors. The original is now protected in a museum environment, with a replica outside in Rome. It is said that most sculptures had their hands inside them.
Common locations for statues were in the temples, the public baths or thermae, and the city forum (the social and commercial centre of the town).
See also
- Classical sculpture
- History of sculpture
- Ancient Roman pottery
- Naturalis Historia
- Pliny the elder
- Roman art
Further reading
- Conlin, Diana Attnally, The Artists of the Ara Pacis, University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
- Hallett, Christopher H., The Roman Nude: Heroic Portrait Statuary 200 BC - AD 300, Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Kleiner, Diana E.E., Roman Sculpture, Yale University Press, 1992.
- Gerhard Koeppel, "Official State Reliefs of the City of Rome in the Imperial Age: A Bibliography." ANRW II.12.1, 477-506.
- Koortbojian, Michael, Myth, Meaning, and Memory on Roman Sarcophagi, University of California Press, 1995.
- Mattusch, Carol A., The Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum: Life and Afterlife of a Sculptural Collection, J. Paul Getty Museum, 2005.
- Ryberg, Inez Scott, Rites of the State Religion in Roman Art, American Academy in Rome, 1955.
- Varner, Eric R., Mutilation and Transformation: Damnatio Memoriae and Roman Imperial Portraiture, Brill, 2004.
External links
- "Roman art: Sculpture". The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition. © 2006. Columbia University Press / Infoplease. Visited May 28, 2006.
- "Roman Statues and Ancient Roman Sculpture". © 2006. Statue.com. Visited May 28, 2006.
- Ancient Roman sculpture
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