Roman Portraits: Sculptures in Stone and Bronze in the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

295 Pages·2016·278.764 MB·English

by  Paul Zanker

ROMAN PORTRAITS
ScuLPTURES IN STONE AND BRONZE
IN THE COLLECTION OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
PAUL ZANKER
TIE
MIT
THE METROPOLITAN MusEuM OF ART, NEw YORK
DISTRIBUTED BY YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS • NEW HAVEN AND LüNDON
This publication is made possible by James and Mary Hyde Copyright © 2016 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Ottaway, The BIN Charitable Foundation, Inc., and The New York
Prospect Hill Foundation.
First printing
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
Mark Polizzotti, Publisher and Editor in Chief
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
Gwen Roginsky, Associate Publisher and General Manager
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Edited by Sarah McFadden
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Designed by Steven Schoenfelder
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Production by Sally VanDevanter
metmuseum.org
Bibliography edited by Jayne Kuchna and Philomena Mariani
Image acquisitions and permissions by Crystal Dombrow and Distributed by
Elizabeth De Mase Yale University Press, New Haven and London
Translations from the German by Russell Stockman yalebooks.com/art
Map by Anandaroop Roy yalebooks.co. uk
Typeset in Minion and Orpheus by Tina Henderson Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is available from
Printed on 150 gsm Galerie Art Volume the Library of Congress.
Separations by VeronaLibri, Verona, Italy ISBN 978-1-58839-599-3
Printed and bound by VeronaLibri, Verona, Italy
Jacket illustrations: front, Fragment of an Over-Lifesize Photographs of works in the Metropolitan Museum's
Portrait of Lucius Verus, late reign of Marcus Aurelius or early collection are by Qi-Cheong Lee, Associate Chief
Commodus, ca. A.D. 170-90 (cat. 26); back, Fragment of a Photographer, Imaging Department, The Metropolitan
Portrait of a Girl, late Antonine, ca. A.D. 180 (cat. 84) Museum of Art, unless otherwise noted.
Frontispiece: Portrait of a Young Man, late Hadrianic Additional photography credits: Capitoline Museums,
early Antonine, ca. A.D. 130-50 (detail of cat. 59) photograph by Stefano Castellani: fig. 37; Imaging Department,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: fig. 34, cats. 30, 63;
Other illustrations: p. vi, Portrait of a Ptolemaic Queen, Ministero <lei Beni e delle Attivita Culturali e del Turismo
Hellenistic, ca. 270-240 B.c. (detail of cat. 2); p. xvi, Portrait Museo Archaeologico Nazionale di Napoli: figs. 10, 32;
of the Philosopher Epikouros, late Flavian-early Trajanic, ©Musee Royal de Mariemont, photograph by M. Lechien:
ca. A.D. 90-110 (detail of cat. 10); p. 12, Portrait of a Greek fig. 23; Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, photographs by Ole Haupt:
General, late Republican, ca. 50 B.c. (detail of cat. 5); p. 54, figs. 2, 4, 14, 21; © President and Fellows of Harvard College:
Portrait from a Statue of Emperor Caracalla, late Severan, fig. 14; © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY: figs. 9, 12, 26;
A.D. late 22os-early 230s (detail of cat. 27); p. 110, Bronze © Roma, Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali-Musei
Portrait of a Man, Tiberian, ca. A.D. 20 (detail of cat. 40); Capitolini, Archivio Fotografico <lei Musei Capitolini, photo
p. 188, Portrait Bust of a Woman with Veiled Head, Severan, graphs by Zeno Colantoni: figs. 24, 25, 27, 28, 35; Scala / Art
ca. A.D. 190-210 (detail of cat. 86); p. 240, Tomb Altar of Resource, NY: fig. 1; Scala / Ministero per i Beni e le Attivita
Cominia Tyche, late Flavian-early Trajanic, ca. A.D. 90-110, culturali / Art Resource, NY: fig. 11; © Trustees of The British
(detail of cat. 96) Museum: fig. 17; © Vanni Archive / Art Resource, NY: figs. 7,
20; diagram by Elizabeth Wahle: fig. 31
The Metropolitan Museum of Art endeavors to respect
copyright in a manner consistent with its nonprofit
educational mission. If you believe any material has been
included in this publication improperly, please contact the
Publications and Editorial Department.
CONTENTS
Director's Foreword vii
Preface viii
Acknowledgments ix
Chronology xi
Map xii
Introduction xiv
On the History of Ancient Portraiture 1
Greek Portraits and Their Roman Copies 13
Portraits of Roman Emperors 55
Portraits of Men and Youths 111
Portraits of Women and Girls 189
Reliefs and Tomb Altars with Portraits of the Deceased 241
Disputed Portraits 258
Concordance 264
Bibliography 265
Index 277

f
DIRECTOR'S OREWORD
DURING THE FIFTH AND FOURTH CENTURIES B.C., Greek sculptors made the first realistic
portrait statues, devoting their work to prominent individuals-politicians, poets, and
philosophers. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., these artists sculpted
magnificent portraits of the Hellenistic rulers who controlled the vast territory conquered
by Alexander as well as statues of leading members of society. The Romans adopted the
art of portraiture from the Greeks, intensifying the lifelike rendering of faces, and sculpted
innumerable works honoring their rulers. All Romans who had the means were able to
memorialize themselves and their family members at their graves with portrait busts.
Shortly after its founding, The Metropolitan Museum of Art began to acquire
Roman portraits. The Museum's first two directors, Luigi Palma di Cesnola (1879-1904)
and Edward Robinson (1910-1931), both deeply involved with the art of Mediterranean
Antiquity, focused specifically on the Classical and Eastern Mediterranean world. John
Marshall, the Museum's purchasing agent in Rome from 1906 to 1927, as well as Gisela M.
A. Richter, head of the Department of Greek and Roman Art from 1925 to 1948, applied
their considerable knowledge to build up a solid collection for the institution. The first
portrait acquired was the bust ofHerodotos (cat. 4) in 1891, and many additional portraits
entered the collection in the decades that followed, notably outstanding works such as the
bust of a Ptolemaic queen ( cat. 2) and that of Emperor Severus Alexander ( cat. 29).
Today, visitors to the Met can look at representations of Romans of all ages and
from all strata of society. Roman Portraits: Sculptures in Stone and Bronze in the Collection
of The Metropolitan Museum ofA rt is the first catalogue ever published on this significant
part of our collection. As the Dietrich von Bothmer Research Scholar in the Department
of Greek and Roman Art, Paul Zanker has written an authoritative text that brings to life
the Museum's ancient portraits within the broader context of Roman art and culture. He
offers definitive analyses of each work, with particular attention to the practice of recarv
ing a portrait for the representation of a later subject. These observations are accompa
nied by splendid new photography taken by Oi-Cheong Lee of the Imaging Department.
This publication was generously underwritten by James and Mary Hyde Ottaway,
The BIN Charitable Foundation, Inc., and The Prospect Hill Foundation. We are grateful
to these donors for their support of Paul Zanker's groundbreaking research, which renews
and replenishes our appreciation of portraiture in the ancient world.
Thomas P. Campbell
DIRECTOR, THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
vii
PREFACE
The position of Dietrich von Bothmer Distinguished Research Scholar, named after the
longtime chairman of the Greek and Roman Department, was established through the
generosity of Shelby White and the late Leon Levy together with Barbara Fleischman and
the late Lawrence Fleischman to support research on the collections of the Greek and
Roman Department. The first incumbent, Professor Paul Zanker, was chosen for his
expertise in Roman art, and specifically portraiture, fields in which the department's
research and scholarship have lagged behind the wider field. A comprehensive survey of
our Roman holdings has never before been published, and the last work devoted exclu
sively to Roman portraits was a slim picture book written by Gisela M. A. Richter in 1948.
In the present volume, Paul Zanker brings his exceptional knowledge of the subject to
our holdings. He is responsible not only for the text but also for the choice of illustra
tions, allowing both the specialist and our wider audience to see all of the detail in these
often complex works and to follow the transformations many of them underwent after
their initial creation.
I should like to express my thanks to James and Mary Hyde Ottaway, The BIN
Charitable Foundation, Inc., and The Prospect Hill Foundation for their generous sup
port of the publication.
Carlos A. Picon
CURATOR IN CHARGE
DEPARTMENT OF GREEK AND ROMAN ART
viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Carlos A. Picon, Curator in Charge of the Department of Greek and Roman Art, pro
posed that I undertake the first publication of the Museum's Roman portraits since Gisela
M.A. Richter's short book of 1948. I thank him for the opportunity to publish the collec
tion of portraits and for his continuous support. During the preparation of the catalogue,
I held the position of Dietrich von Bothmer Distinguished Research Scholar, endowed by
Shelby White and the late Leon Levy as well as by Barbara Fleischman and the late Law
rence Fleischman. I deeply appreciate their generosity and wish to emphasize my partic
ular debt to Shelby White for her friendship and interest in my work over many years.
In the Greek and Roman Department, besides Christopher S. Lightfoot, Sean
Hemingway, and Kyriaki Karoglou, I particularly thank Joan R. Mertens for her innu
merable comments to the text and her appreciable contribution to the production of the
book. Without her constant help the book could not have appeared in its present form.
Special mention is due to Debbie Kuo for her unflagging assistance with all practical mat
ters connected with my stays in New York, and Sarah Szeliga, who efficiently obtained all
the publications I required. William M. Gagen, Fred A. Caruso, and John F. Morariu Jr.
facilitated my examination of the objects as did Jennifer S. Soupios, who also prepared
the Concordance. Matthew A. Noiseux, Jacob Spencer Coley, Melissa C. Sheinheit, and
Michael Baran always solved my computer issues. Maya Muratov compiled the prove
nances of the portraits in the book. I thank the Department of Medieval Art and The
Cloisters and Michel David-Weill Curator in Charge C. Griffith Mann for consenting to
the inclusion of four Late Antique portraits in the catalogue.
I express my appreciation to Barbara J. Bridgers, General Manager of the Imaging
Department, and the excellent photographer Qi-Cheong Lee, who sensitively captured
the many details essential to the understanding of Roman portraiture.
For the realization of the book by the Publications and Editorial Department, I
thank Mark Polizzotti for his generous support of a Romanist's approach to the portraits
as well as Michael Sittenfeld, Peter Antony, and Russell Stockman, who accomplished the
significant labor of translating my texts into English. Sarah McFadden has been the most
meticulous and patient of editors, ably assisted by Philomena Mariani and Jayne Kushna,
who painstakingly checked the Bibliography. Steven Schoenfelder superbly integrated
my text and many photographs into a highly effective design. Sally VanDevanter spared
ix
no effort with the production; Crystal Dombrow and Elizabeth De Mase obtained the
comparative illustrations; and Anandaroop Roy drew the map. I owe special thanks to
Antonio Paolucci, Director of the Vatican Museums, Claudia Valeri, Vatican Museums,
Claudio Parisi Presicce, Sovrintendente Capitolino ai Beni Culturali, and last but not least
Professor Eugenio La Rocca for their additional, most generous help with photographs.
For this effort to familiarize contemporary audiences with the Metropolitan Muse
um's ancient Roman portraits, I express my warmest appreciation to James and Mary
Hyde Ottaway, The BIN Charitable Foundation, Inc., and The Prospect Hill Foundation,
who made it possible.
Paul Zanker
DIETRICH VON BOTHMER DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH SCHOLAR
X ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHRONOLOGY
EMPERORS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS WHOSE PORTRAITS APPEAR IN THIS BOOK
JULIO-CLAUDIAN DYNASTY 27 B.C.-A.D. 68
Augustus r. 31 B.C.-A.D. 14
Empress Livia 58 B.C.-A.D. 29
Gaius Caesar, grandson 20 B.C.-A.D. 4
Gaius Germanicus ( Caligula) r. A.D. 37-41
Nero r. A.D. 54-68
FLAVIAN DYNASTY A.D. 69-96
Vespasian r. A.D. 69-79
Domitian r. A.D. 81-96
Nerva r. A.D. 96-98
TRAJANIC AND HADRIANIC PERIOD A.D. 98-138
Trajan r. A.D. 98-117
Marciana, Trajan's sister A.D. 48-112/114
Hadrian r. A.D. 117-38
Empress Sabina(?) A.D. 83-136/137
Matidia the Younger, half sister A.D. 85-161
of Sabina
ANTONINE DYNASTY A.D. 138-93
Antoninus Pius r. A.D. 138-61
Marcus Aurelius r. A.D. 161-80
with Lucius Verus r. A.D. 161-69
Empress Faustina the Younger(?), A.D. 130(?)-75
wife of Marcus Aurelius
SEVERAN DYNASTY A.D. 193-235
Caracalla r. A.D. 211-17
Severus Alexander r. A.D. 222-35
SOLDIER EMPERORS A.D. 235-305
Maximinus I (Thrax) r. A.D. 235-38
Trebonianus Gallus r. A.D. 251-53
Probus r. A.D. 276-82
WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE
Constantine r. A.D. 307-37
CONSTANTINIAN DYNASTY A.D. 337-63
Constans r. A.D. 337-50
xi