Herculaneum Titus
Title
Herculaneum Titus
Date
79-81 CE
Artist or Workshop
unknown
Materials
Painted White marble
Height of the work
211 cm tall
Provenience
Herculaneum, Italy
Current Location
Naples, National Archaeological Museum
Description and Significance
Description:
The Herculaneum Titus is a cuirassed depiction of the Roman Emperor it is named after. He is portrayed as a great military man clad in a cuirass, paludamentum, and caligae. The cuirass is decorated with two heraldic griffins flanking a candelabrum. This particular statue of Titus has a hairline that recedes at the temples and grows relatively straight across the forehead in a close-cropped style, one that exhibits the characteristics of a military haircut. The statue’s broad head is detailed with sinuous lines stretching across its forehead, effectively adding experience and maturity to the face. The eyes are closely set, and the eyebrows are arched. The statue’s hooked nose and cleft chin are features that compliment its full lips. Because of his relative youth, Titus lacks the crow’s-feet and cheek creases in his face. The statue’s weight is fully resting on the left foot in a contrapposto position while the right arm is outstretched, the left by its side. The tunic is draped across the left arm, and there is a small, marble post behind the left leg, supporting the portrait sculpture’s weight.
Significance:
The Herculaneum statue of Titus may have been manufactured before the emperor’s accession since it comes from Herculaneum and therefore predates 24 August 79 CE, the day Mount Vesuvius erupted. However, at the age of forty, Titus became emperor of Rome in June of the very same year, so the portrait could have been one of the first statues made to represent the new emperor. The sculpture’s purpose was most likely created to evoke the sense of a role portrait. In this case, Titus is taking on the role of an imperator, a position he was once venerated for prior to taking up the mantle of “emperor.” The cuirassed depiction of Titus implies his role as a young, military leader. The right hand is positioned in such a way to hold a spear, further strengthening this assertion. The face of the statue shows signs of age, but in this case, it is meant to portray the subject’s wisdom. The contrast of age with the power of a youthful body showcases an ideal military leader with the intellectual prowess for employing militaristic stratagems as well as swordsmanship on the battlefield.
The statue also exhibits characteristics of heavy verism, a departure from the Augustinian model; however, it is in the rendition of the hair that this portrait statue departs most significantly from its predecessor’s. Although the hairline is similar to Vespasian’s, it is made much fuller and curlier, the curls sometimes accentuated lightly by the drill of the artist. Part of the reason behind this verism is that he is modeling himself after his father, Vespasian. This is a clear emphasis on not only his legitimacy to the throne, but also as an emphasis regarding how "fit" he is to rule. The hair in particular shows traces of red pigments (more brown than actual red), inferring that the statue was once painted. The griffins are a favorite motif of Julio-Claudian and Flavian times; however, they are merely ornamental decorations and do not seem to have any political connotations. These ornately decorated scenes on cuirasses became the norm rather than the exception during the Flavian period. It could have been because Titus was a former field commander and may have felt more drawn to the medium or perhaps he lacked the formerly required Julio-Claudian pedigree and required another way to legitimize his military prowess. It is also important to note that the artists who created this statue may have wished to express the nature of the Roman citizen of good stock who had the practical sense and capacity to rule the destiny of the Empire.
The Herculaneum Titus is a cuirassed depiction of the Roman Emperor it is named after. He is portrayed as a great military man clad in a cuirass, paludamentum, and caligae. The cuirass is decorated with two heraldic griffins flanking a candelabrum. This particular statue of Titus has a hairline that recedes at the temples and grows relatively straight across the forehead in a close-cropped style, one that exhibits the characteristics of a military haircut. The statue’s broad head is detailed with sinuous lines stretching across its forehead, effectively adding experience and maturity to the face. The eyes are closely set, and the eyebrows are arched. The statue’s hooked nose and cleft chin are features that compliment its full lips. Because of his relative youth, Titus lacks the crow’s-feet and cheek creases in his face. The statue’s weight is fully resting on the left foot in a contrapposto position while the right arm is outstretched, the left by its side. The tunic is draped across the left arm, and there is a small, marble post behind the left leg, supporting the portrait sculpture’s weight.
Significance:
The Herculaneum statue of Titus may have been manufactured before the emperor’s accession since it comes from Herculaneum and therefore predates 24 August 79 CE, the day Mount Vesuvius erupted. However, at the age of forty, Titus became emperor of Rome in June of the very same year, so the portrait could have been one of the first statues made to represent the new emperor. The sculpture’s purpose was most likely created to evoke the sense of a role portrait. In this case, Titus is taking on the role of an imperator, a position he was once venerated for prior to taking up the mantle of “emperor.” The cuirassed depiction of Titus implies his role as a young, military leader. The right hand is positioned in such a way to hold a spear, further strengthening this assertion. The face of the statue shows signs of age, but in this case, it is meant to portray the subject’s wisdom. The contrast of age with the power of a youthful body showcases an ideal military leader with the intellectual prowess for employing militaristic stratagems as well as swordsmanship on the battlefield.
The statue also exhibits characteristics of heavy verism, a departure from the Augustinian model; however, it is in the rendition of the hair that this portrait statue departs most significantly from its predecessor’s. Although the hairline is similar to Vespasian’s, it is made much fuller and curlier, the curls sometimes accentuated lightly by the drill of the artist. Part of the reason behind this verism is that he is modeling himself after his father, Vespasian. This is a clear emphasis on not only his legitimacy to the throne, but also as an emphasis regarding how "fit" he is to rule. The hair in particular shows traces of red pigments (more brown than actual red), inferring that the statue was once painted. The griffins are a favorite motif of Julio-Claudian and Flavian times; however, they are merely ornamental decorations and do not seem to have any political connotations. These ornately decorated scenes on cuirasses became the norm rather than the exception during the Flavian period. It could have been because Titus was a former field commander and may have felt more drawn to the medium or perhaps he lacked the formerly required Julio-Claudian pedigree and required another way to legitimize his military prowess. It is also important to note that the artists who created this statue may have wished to express the nature of the Roman citizen of good stock who had the practical sense and capacity to rule the destiny of the Empire.
References
Franciscis, Alfonso De. The National Archeological Museum of Naples. Napoli: Edizioni D’Arte Interdipress, 1980. 31. Print.
History of Ancient Rome Website: http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img..htm?id=5009.
Kleiner, Diana E. E. Roman Sculpture. Yale UP, 1994, 173-176. Print.
Le Collezioni Del Museo Nazionale Di Napoli. Vol. 2. Roma: De Luca, 1896. Print.
Molding Minds: The Roman Use of the Cuirassed Statue in Defining Empire. 26. https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/45717/Thesis.pdf. Accessed April 4 2017.
History of Ancient Rome Website: http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img..htm?id=5009.
Kleiner, Diana E. E. Roman Sculpture. Yale UP, 1994, 173-176. Print.
Le Collezioni Del Museo Nazionale Di Napoli. Vol. 2. Roma: De Luca, 1896. Print.
Molding Minds: The Roman Use of the Cuirassed Statue in Defining Empire. 26. https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/45717/Thesis.pdf. Accessed April 4 2017.
Contributor
Ryan Tetter
Files
Citation
unknown, “Herculaneum Titus,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed November 18, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/36.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.