Tetrarch Pair
Title
Tetrarch Pair
Date
Tetrarchy. ca. AD 305
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
Purple Porphyry
Height of the work
131.064 cm tall
Provenience
Purple Porphyry: Mons Porphyrites, Egypt
Tetrarch Pair: Constantinople/Istanbul
Tetrarch Pair: Constantinople/Istanbul
Current Location
Basilica San Marco, Venice, Italy
Description and Significance
Description:
The Tetrarch Pair are located on a corner of Basilica San Marco. The Tetrarch Pair are one part of two identical pieces, that are side by side. Each piece contains a pair. The pair has two figures, both of them standing. Each figure has a crown with a hole in the front. Both of the tetrarch's look nearly identical. The only difference amongst the two figures is that one of the figures has a beard. The figures have large eyes and large heads. The shoulders of the figures are narrow. There is a cloak hanging off of the shoulders of each figure. The tetrarch with the beard has his right hand placed on the left shoulder of the tetrarch without a beard. Armor adorns both figures. Each tetrarch holds a sword with their left hand. The hilts of the swords are carved in the shape of an eagle. The figures do wear shoes. The pair of tetrarchs are standing on a base. The figures are made of purple porphyry. The porphyry has a glimmering and smooth quality to it. These figures are not life sized.
Significance:
First, it should be stated that this "Tetrarch Pair" (as well as the other pair, not shown here) is spolia. The tetrarchs were taken from Constantinople and are now housed at the Basilica San Marco. The Basilica and its surroundings contain a large number of spolia. There are two figures here. The figure with the beard is the Augusti. The Augusti were the senior emperors. The figure without the beard is the Caesar. The Caesars are the junior emperors. Diocletian is the Augusti. Galerius is the Caesar. Diocletian created the system of tetrarchy or rule of four to better manage the Roman empire. Each tetrarch was to rule one part of the empire whilst learning from their senior emperor. The junior emperor would succeed the senior emperor and then take on a junior emperor. The tetrarchs here are not individualized in any way. They do not look like anyone. All have the same body size and the same clothing. The features of the figures are very abstract. Though the figures are standing, there is no contrapposto. There is not much of a sense of musculature underneath the armor. All of this is a very, very sharp departure from past Roman portraiture and the Greek portraiture that influenced them. In previous Greek and Roman portraiture, we had seen beautifully done drapery that would hint at the musculature and body structure of the figure. There is no such naturalistic quality here. The purple porphyry that the tetrarchs are made of came from a quarry in Egypt. This makes perfect sense as Egypt was a part of the Roman empire. It should also be noted that historically purple had been used only for rulers. It is interesting that the figures are holding on to each other. The tetrarch pair is holding on to one another. The faces and bodies of the pair are turned towards one another as well. This could be representing a sense of collaboration, stability, togetherness and unity. After so much of upheaval, this would have been reassuring. The proportions of the tetrarchs is not natural. They resemble chess pieces.
The Tetrarch Pair are located on a corner of Basilica San Marco. The Tetrarch Pair are one part of two identical pieces, that are side by side. Each piece contains a pair. The pair has two figures, both of them standing. Each figure has a crown with a hole in the front. Both of the tetrarch's look nearly identical. The only difference amongst the two figures is that one of the figures has a beard. The figures have large eyes and large heads. The shoulders of the figures are narrow. There is a cloak hanging off of the shoulders of each figure. The tetrarch with the beard has his right hand placed on the left shoulder of the tetrarch without a beard. Armor adorns both figures. Each tetrarch holds a sword with their left hand. The hilts of the swords are carved in the shape of an eagle. The figures do wear shoes. The pair of tetrarchs are standing on a base. The figures are made of purple porphyry. The porphyry has a glimmering and smooth quality to it. These figures are not life sized.
Significance:
First, it should be stated that this "Tetrarch Pair" (as well as the other pair, not shown here) is spolia. The tetrarchs were taken from Constantinople and are now housed at the Basilica San Marco. The Basilica and its surroundings contain a large number of spolia. There are two figures here. The figure with the beard is the Augusti. The Augusti were the senior emperors. The figure without the beard is the Caesar. The Caesars are the junior emperors. Diocletian is the Augusti. Galerius is the Caesar. Diocletian created the system of tetrarchy or rule of four to better manage the Roman empire. Each tetrarch was to rule one part of the empire whilst learning from their senior emperor. The junior emperor would succeed the senior emperor and then take on a junior emperor. The tetrarchs here are not individualized in any way. They do not look like anyone. All have the same body size and the same clothing. The features of the figures are very abstract. Though the figures are standing, there is no contrapposto. There is not much of a sense of musculature underneath the armor. All of this is a very, very sharp departure from past Roman portraiture and the Greek portraiture that influenced them. In previous Greek and Roman portraiture, we had seen beautifully done drapery that would hint at the musculature and body structure of the figure. There is no such naturalistic quality here. The purple porphyry that the tetrarchs are made of came from a quarry in Egypt. This makes perfect sense as Egypt was a part of the Roman empire. It should also be noted that historically purple had been used only for rulers. It is interesting that the figures are holding on to each other. The tetrarch pair is holding on to one another. The faces and bodies of the pair are turned towards one another as well. This could be representing a sense of collaboration, stability, togetherness and unity. After so much of upheaval, this would have been reassuring. The proportions of the tetrarchs is not natural. They resemble chess pieces.
References
"Portraits of the Four Tetrarchs." Khan Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
Tetrarchy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/britannia/ruins/tetrarchy.html>.
Treasures of Ancient Rome: The Empire Strikes Back. Dir. Tim Dunn. Perf. Alastair Sooke. Www.dailymotion.com. BBC, n.d. Web. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x30xwqf.
"Treasures of Ancient Rome." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
Image of the Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs. Digital image.
Www.romeacrosseurope.com. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.romeacrosseurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/the-four-tetrarchs.jpg>.
Favaretto, Irene. St. Mark's: The Art and Architecture of Church and State in Venice. Ed. Ettore Vio. New York: Riverside Book Company, 2004. Print.
Tetrarchy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/britannia/ruins/tetrarchy.html>.
Treasures of Ancient Rome: The Empire Strikes Back. Dir. Tim Dunn. Perf. Alastair Sooke. Www.dailymotion.com. BBC, n.d. Web. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x30xwqf.
"Treasures of Ancient Rome." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
Image of the Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs. Digital image.
Www.romeacrosseurope.com. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.romeacrosseurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/the-four-tetrarchs.jpg>.
Favaretto, Irene. St. Mark's: The Art and Architecture of Church and State in Venice. Ed. Ettore Vio. New York: Riverside Book Company, 2004. Print.
Contributor
Sai Teja Surapaneni
Citation
Unknown, “Tetrarch Pair,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed December 20, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/53.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.