Lanuvium Claudius
Title
Lanuvium Claudius
Date
42-43 AD, during the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, under the reign of Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus
Artist or Workshop
unknown
Materials
marble & stone
Height of the work
2.54 m tall
Provenience
Lanuvium, Italy
Current Location
Musei Vaticani, Rome, Italy
Description and Significance
Lanuvium Claudius
Description:
The Lanuvium Claudius is a male figure standing on a flat, rectangular, two-tiered base. At 2.54 meters tall (8 feet 4 inches), it stands well over life size. He is standing barefoot in contrapposto, his left hip is raised higher than the right, and he is holding the majority of his weight on his right leg. His hips and thighs are covered by a large cloth, the wraps around his hips below his abdominal muscles and extends up and over his right shoulder. The excess fabric cascades down his back and reaches his calves. His left arm is raised level with his head, gripping a cylinder with a blunt, circular end. His right arm is outstretched in front of him, holding a small concave disk in his palm. His abdominal and pectoral muscles are sharply defined, his biceps and forearms are chiseled and supple. His facial muscles are relaxed, he has deep smile lines, crow’s feet, and a furrow lines on his forehead. His almond-shaped eyes are deep set in their sockets. Underneath his eyes are large bags and lines that frame his cheeks. His upper lip rests forward in relation to his lower lip, showing an overbite. His ears are disproportionately large in comparison to the size of his head. His hair is cropped close to the scalp; his bangs are shaped like commas, and lay in a pattern across his hairline. Resting on the crown of his head are weaved leaves that are intertwined into the shape of a horseshoe. Excess fabric drapes around his neck and rests on his shoulders. At his right foot is an eagle, with it’s wings partially spread and face turned up towards Claudius.
Significance:
A lover of history and far from militaristic, Claudius was named Imperator of Rome following the homicide of his predecessor, Caligula. While most of Caligula’s relatives were murdered as well, Claudius was found hiding behind a curtain during the assassination, and thus was spared. This depiction of Claudius as the Roman God Jupiter seeks to do several different things. It highlights his connection to the Julio-Claudian Dynasty while simultaneously distancing himself from the infamous Caligula, while channeling the characteristics and power of Jupiter. In order to distance himself from his nephew, Claudius shed the previous convention of idealization in portraits. Portraits of Caligula show youthful features that emphasize his inexperience, and potential as a ruler. To visually distance himself from Caligula, Claudius adopts the older Roman verism. Like the Delos Pseudo Athlete, the Lanuvium Claudius has a youthful and ideal body, with an older, veristic face and hair. This serves to distance himself from Caligula, emphasize his potential as a ruler with his youthful body, while also touting his age, experience and wisdom with his veristic head. This depiction of Claudius shows some very typical traits of those in power during this dynasty. Despite a lack of genetic similarity, many of the rulers during this time period show analogous physical characteristics of the processors. Claudius is no exception: he is shown with a broad cranium, small mouth, slight overbite, and hair shaped like commas that part to form a “crab-claw” on the hairline. By showing physical similarity to great rulers before him, Claudius legitimizes his power during a time of political turmoil. This portrait also serves as a “guise” portrait of Jupiter. In his pose, he channels the qualities of Jupiter. He is wearing a corona triumphalis, or a laurel crown that usually denote a winner or an athlete. This sculpture also highlights Claudius’ power by showing him in the guise of Jupiter, the Roman version of Zeus and the god of lightning, thunder, and the supreme god. This piece has been restored so the figure is holding a petera (a religious offering bowl), but it is debated as to whether he should be holding a lightning bolt in his outstretched hand. By depicting him as the god of gods, it cements his power as the new ruler. This piece successfully distances Claudius from Caligula while maintaining visual similarity with other Julio-Claudians, and emphasizes his power through the guise of Jupiter.
Description:
The Lanuvium Claudius is a male figure standing on a flat, rectangular, two-tiered base. At 2.54 meters tall (8 feet 4 inches), it stands well over life size. He is standing barefoot in contrapposto, his left hip is raised higher than the right, and he is holding the majority of his weight on his right leg. His hips and thighs are covered by a large cloth, the wraps around his hips below his abdominal muscles and extends up and over his right shoulder. The excess fabric cascades down his back and reaches his calves. His left arm is raised level with his head, gripping a cylinder with a blunt, circular end. His right arm is outstretched in front of him, holding a small concave disk in his palm. His abdominal and pectoral muscles are sharply defined, his biceps and forearms are chiseled and supple. His facial muscles are relaxed, he has deep smile lines, crow’s feet, and a furrow lines on his forehead. His almond-shaped eyes are deep set in their sockets. Underneath his eyes are large bags and lines that frame his cheeks. His upper lip rests forward in relation to his lower lip, showing an overbite. His ears are disproportionately large in comparison to the size of his head. His hair is cropped close to the scalp; his bangs are shaped like commas, and lay in a pattern across his hairline. Resting on the crown of his head are weaved leaves that are intertwined into the shape of a horseshoe. Excess fabric drapes around his neck and rests on his shoulders. At his right foot is an eagle, with it’s wings partially spread and face turned up towards Claudius.
Significance:
A lover of history and far from militaristic, Claudius was named Imperator of Rome following the homicide of his predecessor, Caligula. While most of Caligula’s relatives were murdered as well, Claudius was found hiding behind a curtain during the assassination, and thus was spared. This depiction of Claudius as the Roman God Jupiter seeks to do several different things. It highlights his connection to the Julio-Claudian Dynasty while simultaneously distancing himself from the infamous Caligula, while channeling the characteristics and power of Jupiter. In order to distance himself from his nephew, Claudius shed the previous convention of idealization in portraits. Portraits of Caligula show youthful features that emphasize his inexperience, and potential as a ruler. To visually distance himself from Caligula, Claudius adopts the older Roman verism. Like the Delos Pseudo Athlete, the Lanuvium Claudius has a youthful and ideal body, with an older, veristic face and hair. This serves to distance himself from Caligula, emphasize his potential as a ruler with his youthful body, while also touting his age, experience and wisdom with his veristic head. This depiction of Claudius shows some very typical traits of those in power during this dynasty. Despite a lack of genetic similarity, many of the rulers during this time period show analogous physical characteristics of the processors. Claudius is no exception: he is shown with a broad cranium, small mouth, slight overbite, and hair shaped like commas that part to form a “crab-claw” on the hairline. By showing physical similarity to great rulers before him, Claudius legitimizes his power during a time of political turmoil. This portrait also serves as a “guise” portrait of Jupiter. In his pose, he channels the qualities of Jupiter. He is wearing a corona triumphalis, or a laurel crown that usually denote a winner or an athlete. This sculpture also highlights Claudius’ power by showing him in the guise of Jupiter, the Roman version of Zeus and the god of lightning, thunder, and the supreme god. This piece has been restored so the figure is holding a petera (a religious offering bowl), but it is debated as to whether he should be holding a lightning bolt in his outstretched hand. By depicting him as the god of gods, it cements his power as the new ruler. This piece successfully distances Claudius from Caligula while maintaining visual similarity with other Julio-Claudians, and emphasizes his power through the guise of Jupiter.
References
Kleiner, Fred S. "The Julio-Claudian Dynasty." A History of Roman Art, Enhanced ed., e-book, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2010, pp. 109-10.
Website: Ancient History Encylopedia http://www.ancient.eu/jupiter/
Website: Ancient History Encylopedia http://www.ancient.eu/jupiter/
Contributor
Nora Cheung
Citation
unknown, “Lanuvium Claudius,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed April 25, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/37.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.