Tusculum Caesar
Title
Tusculum Caesar
Date
50-40 BC
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
Marble
Height of the work
33 cm tall
Provenience
Tusculum, Italy
Current Location
Museo d'Antichità, collezione del Castello Reale di Agliè, in Torino
Description and Significance
Description
The Tusculum Caesar is a head, broken at the base of the neck. The left side of the head is protruding outward. The portrait depicts a receding hairline, where there is only enough hair on the very top of his head to still connect the rest of his hair. He also has wrinkles on his forehead. His eyebrows are close together, almost like they are furrowed, which creates a ridge connecting them, along with open eyes below them. He also has a long, narrow, triangle shaped nose, with a rounded tip. He is a skinny man and you can see the outline of his skull. He has sunken cheeks, and you can slightly see his cheekbones. Along with the sunken cheeks, you can see that there is also sagging skin present. You can see a pair of laugh lines as well, the right one is slightly higher than the left. There is also a slight smile present. Another thing to mention is that one can see wrinkles on the bust’s neck. One more thing to note is that the bust’s neck is somewhat curved on the left side.
Significance
This bust of Caesar is crafted in the “verisitic” style, meaning it shows the imperfections one might have, rather than idealizing their image. This can be seen in a number of instances. The wrinkles on his forehead, the sagging skin, the laugh lines, and the receding hairline all represent age. This bust was not crafted when Caesar was a young man. His head being broken at the base of the neck also indicates that this bust was a part of a larger sculpture. This could also explain the slight curve in his neck, he might have had a certain position or posture as an entire statue. The asymmetry of the laugh lines is an indicator of the realism to this portrait. This is because the artist did not choose to simply make the laugh lines symmetrical, the discrepancy shows that the artist is most likely trying to go for as much of a likeness to Caesar as he can. The abnormal shape to Caesars head also indicates the high chance that the sculptor is trying to be as accurate as he can. Caesar was known for have a skull deformity and this further supports that, it also plays into the artist’s “veristic” approach to this sculpture. However, despite his age being shown, the way his eyes are open, and alert, and his mouth has that slight smile, is an indication that the artist is in no way trying to make Caesar look weak, frail, or sick. The strength in his face can be seen as an idealism among the lack there of, but also as a sign of respect from the artist.
The Tusculum Caesar is a head, broken at the base of the neck. The left side of the head is protruding outward. The portrait depicts a receding hairline, where there is only enough hair on the very top of his head to still connect the rest of his hair. He also has wrinkles on his forehead. His eyebrows are close together, almost like they are furrowed, which creates a ridge connecting them, along with open eyes below them. He also has a long, narrow, triangle shaped nose, with a rounded tip. He is a skinny man and you can see the outline of his skull. He has sunken cheeks, and you can slightly see his cheekbones. Along with the sunken cheeks, you can see that there is also sagging skin present. You can see a pair of laugh lines as well, the right one is slightly higher than the left. There is also a slight smile present. Another thing to mention is that one can see wrinkles on the bust’s neck. One more thing to note is that the bust’s neck is somewhat curved on the left side.
Significance
This bust of Caesar is crafted in the “verisitic” style, meaning it shows the imperfections one might have, rather than idealizing their image. This can be seen in a number of instances. The wrinkles on his forehead, the sagging skin, the laugh lines, and the receding hairline all represent age. This bust was not crafted when Caesar was a young man. His head being broken at the base of the neck also indicates that this bust was a part of a larger sculpture. This could also explain the slight curve in his neck, he might have had a certain position or posture as an entire statue. The asymmetry of the laugh lines is an indicator of the realism to this portrait. This is because the artist did not choose to simply make the laugh lines symmetrical, the discrepancy shows that the artist is most likely trying to go for as much of a likeness to Caesar as he can. The abnormal shape to Caesars head also indicates the high chance that the sculptor is trying to be as accurate as he can. Caesar was known for have a skull deformity and this further supports that, it also plays into the artist’s “veristic” approach to this sculpture. However, despite his age being shown, the way his eyes are open, and alert, and his mouth has that slight smile, is an indication that the artist is in no way trying to make Caesar look weak, frail, or sick. The strength in his face can be seen as an idealism among the lack there of, but also as a sign of respect from the artist.
References
Getty Museum , J. Paul . Ancient Portraits in the J. Paul Getty Museum: Volume 1. N.p.: n.p., 1987. Print. Page 27
https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1206/1206.4866.pdf
http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/fisher/record.html?id=FISHER_n2001080965
https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1206/1206.4866.pdf
http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/fisher/record.html?id=FISHER_n2001080965
Contributor
Soe Naing
Citation
Unknown , “Tusculum Caesar,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed April 20, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/29.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.