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Fragment of a Portrait Statue of a Man, Perhaps a Roman Emperor

A work made of marble.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of marble.

Date:

late 1st-early 2nd century

Artist:

Roman

About this artwork

The unidentified man in this over-life-size headless portrait statue is dressed in full military regalia. His torso is covered with a body armor called a cuirass, the front side of which is adorned with figural motifs intended to ward off evil. His armor is worn over a long tunic that ends above his knees and a leather, vest-like garment with tasseled straps to protect his groin and shoulders. He wears a type of heavy cloak, typically worn by Roman military commanders, draped over his left shoulder. Without the carved head, which would have been made separately and attached, it is impossible to identify the individual represented in this portrait. The elaborate ceremonial armor suggests that he was a general or perhaps even the emperor, as the latter held the role of commander of the Roman army.

Status

On View, Gallery 154

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Fragment of a Portrait Statue of a Man, Perhaps a Roman Emperor

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

50 CE–150 CE

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

119.3 × 58.4 × 27.9 cm (47 × 23 × 11 in.)

Credit Line

Anonymous loan

Reference Number

3.2011

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/207740/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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