Met Caracalla
Title
Met Caracalla
Date
ca. 212–217 AD, Severan dynasty
Artist or Workshop
The Caracalla Master
Materials
marble
Height of the work
36.2 cm tall
Provenience
Rome
Current Location
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, United States.
Description and Significance
Description:
The Met Caracalla is a portrait head of emperor Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus of the Severan dynasty. The head is square shaped and has a slight indentation at the chin. The sculpture is slightly damaged with sharp breaks along the neck, as well as chips to the nose, outer left eyebrow, and cheek. The face of the portrait is smooth and idealized, aside from some wrinkles on the forehead. These wrinkles suggest a tension or concentration in the face, rather than old age. These wrinkles also contribute to a furrowed brow, giving the portrait a glaring or frowning expression. Caracalla’s lips are full and slightly parted. Above his lips is a thin moustache, suggested by small lines in the marble. The figure also has facial hair in the form of a beard around the far edges of his face and chin. Similar to the moustache, the beard is fairly thin and cropped close to Caracalla’s face. The portrait’s nose is at the center of the face above the lips and moustache. Though the left portion of the nose has suffered some damage, the broad ridge of the nose and rounded nostrils are still visible. Caracalla’s eyes are on either side of the top of the nose and below his eyebrows. Carved in deep relief, his eyes appear to droop slightly at the outer edges and glance upward. There is a line below the outer edge of each eye to suggest an eye bag. The sculpture’s iris and pupil are drilled and sit towards the top of the eye. The irises do not form complete circles and are severed by the top lid. The eyebrows, carved in high relief, protrude from the face and cast a dramatic shadow over the eyes. Caracalla’s hair is short and wavy.
Significance:
Caracalla is known for being a ferocious and cruel leader, having murdered his brother and practiced violence through the military. This portrait displays Caracalla as an adult, and when he was at least eighteen when this portrait was completed. While Caracalla took the name of Marcus Aurelius, he does not liken himself to his predecessors with a luxurious beard and hair. Instead, his hair and beard are closely cropped to his head and face, a more military style. This choice may be related to advice his father, Septimus Severus, gave on his death bed that suggested he prioritize Roman soldiers and forget all other people during his rule. Caracalla followed this advice and spent a great deal of time with his military, even increasing their pay. During his rule he had the desire for many military conquests, and in later portraiture he attempts to liken himself to Alexander the Great. He begins to do this here with the turn of his head. Caracalla’s glaring, intense expression is the most striking in this portrait, and is representative of his severe disposition. The “X” shaped created by the furrowed brown and nasal labial lines in the face defines the style of the Caracalla Master, and this “X” shape first seen in this portrait became a popular style for portraits to come. In this way the portrait depicts his inner psyche, and is thus similar to Antonine portraiture, especially that of Marcus Aurelius. This is an official portrait, and was most likely made at an imperial workshop since it was found in Rome. It is part of a larger sculpture, and the fragments that remain are his legs. These fragments are bare legs, suggesting Caracalla may have been dressed in military garb. In this portrait Caracalla attempts to depict his intensity as a leader and emphasize his role in Rome’s military.
The Met Caracalla is a portrait head of emperor Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus of the Severan dynasty. The head is square shaped and has a slight indentation at the chin. The sculpture is slightly damaged with sharp breaks along the neck, as well as chips to the nose, outer left eyebrow, and cheek. The face of the portrait is smooth and idealized, aside from some wrinkles on the forehead. These wrinkles suggest a tension or concentration in the face, rather than old age. These wrinkles also contribute to a furrowed brow, giving the portrait a glaring or frowning expression. Caracalla’s lips are full and slightly parted. Above his lips is a thin moustache, suggested by small lines in the marble. The figure also has facial hair in the form of a beard around the far edges of his face and chin. Similar to the moustache, the beard is fairly thin and cropped close to Caracalla’s face. The portrait’s nose is at the center of the face above the lips and moustache. Though the left portion of the nose has suffered some damage, the broad ridge of the nose and rounded nostrils are still visible. Caracalla’s eyes are on either side of the top of the nose and below his eyebrows. Carved in deep relief, his eyes appear to droop slightly at the outer edges and glance upward. There is a line below the outer edge of each eye to suggest an eye bag. The sculpture’s iris and pupil are drilled and sit towards the top of the eye. The irises do not form complete circles and are severed by the top lid. The eyebrows, carved in high relief, protrude from the face and cast a dramatic shadow over the eyes. Caracalla’s hair is short and wavy.
Significance:
Caracalla is known for being a ferocious and cruel leader, having murdered his brother and practiced violence through the military. This portrait displays Caracalla as an adult, and when he was at least eighteen when this portrait was completed. While Caracalla took the name of Marcus Aurelius, he does not liken himself to his predecessors with a luxurious beard and hair. Instead, his hair and beard are closely cropped to his head and face, a more military style. This choice may be related to advice his father, Septimus Severus, gave on his death bed that suggested he prioritize Roman soldiers and forget all other people during his rule. Caracalla followed this advice and spent a great deal of time with his military, even increasing their pay. During his rule he had the desire for many military conquests, and in later portraiture he attempts to liken himself to Alexander the Great. He begins to do this here with the turn of his head. Caracalla’s glaring, intense expression is the most striking in this portrait, and is representative of his severe disposition. The “X” shaped created by the furrowed brown and nasal labial lines in the face defines the style of the Caracalla Master, and this “X” shape first seen in this portrait became a popular style for portraits to come. In this way the portrait depicts his inner psyche, and is thus similar to Antonine portraiture, especially that of Marcus Aurelius. This is an official portrait, and was most likely made at an imperial workshop since it was found in Rome. It is part of a larger sculpture, and the fragments that remain are his legs. These fragments are bare legs, suggesting Caracalla may have been dressed in military garb. In this portrait Caracalla attempts to depict his intensity as a leader and emphasize his role in Rome’s military.
References
Anderson, Maxell L. "A Roman Emperor’s Tough Guy Image." ARTnews. Art Media ARTNEWS, 1 Mar. 2004. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
Kleiner, Diana E. E. "The Severan Dynasty." Roman Sculpture. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2006. 324-25. Print.
"Marble Portrait of the Emperor Caracalla | Roman | Severan | The Met." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
Kleiner, Diana E. E. "The Severan Dynasty." Roman Sculpture. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2006. 324-25. Print.
"Marble Portrait of the Emperor Caracalla | Roman | Severan | The Met." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
Contributor
Megan May
Citation
The Caracalla Master, “Met Caracalla,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed April 20, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/48.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.