Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. A cast bronze bust of a bearded male - probably depicting Caracalla (reigned 198 to 217 CE). His visage is not idyllistic but rather time-worn with wrinkles across his forehead and accentuating his jowels. He wears a band tied around his curly coiffure with the ends trailing over his shoulders. It also appears that he is wearing a military garment with fabric cascading over one shoulder. Size: 2.375" H (6 cm); 3.125" H (7.9 cm) on included custom stand.
Caracalla's portrait reveals his character. Even though he and other emperors of the Severan period tried to tie themselves symbolically to the Antonine emperors who came before to gain legitimacy, he forewent the long locks and thick beards of his predecessors in favor of the shorter military cut. In life, he is remembered as a brutal ruler, one of the worst tyrants of the Roman era, who massacred his own people and favored the military over all other aspects of Roman life. In the 18th century, French artists revived his memory to draw parallels between his tyranny and that of Louis XVI.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, acquired in the 1960s
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#144391
Condition
Details are quite vivid. Minor surface wear to peripheries commensurate with age. Beautiful deep green patina.