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The Burden Of GLORY The Art Of The High Roman Empire
IntroductionToArtHistoryIProfessorWillAdams
Pont-du-Gard,Nîmes,France;19BCE
The Imperial Age § TheRomanstypically
builtaqueductstoserveanylargecityintheirempire.
§ ThecityofRomeitself,beingthelargestcity,hadthelargestconcentrationofaqueducts,withwaterbeingsuppliedbyelevenaqueductsconstructedoveraperiodof500years.
The Imperial Age
The Imperial Age
The Imperial Age § Therewere
approximately300milesofaqueducts,whileonly29ofthemwereaboveground.
§ TheaqueductprovidedaboutonehundredgallonsofwateradayfortheinhabitantsofNîmesfromasourcesomethirtymilesaway.
The Imperial Age
Pont-du-Gard,Nîmes,France;19BCE
The Imperial Age
The Imperial Age § ThiscivicRomantemplewasbuilt
byAgrippa,whodiedin12BCE.§ Itwasthendedicatedtohistwo
sons,CaiusandLucius,heirsofAugustuswhobothdiedveryyoung.
§ Itshowstheallegiance&loyaltyoftheRomancolonytotheempire.
§ Itstandsontheshortsouthsideoftheforumonapodiumwhichisnearly10feethigh.
§ Itwasbuiltoflocallimestone,butwithoutadoubtthearchitectandworkmencamefromRome.
MaisonCarrée,Nîmes,France;c.10CE
The Imperial Age
MaisonCarrée,Nîmes,France;c.10CE
An empire emerges § Afterhisfather’sdeath,
Vespasian’sson,Titus,assumescontroloftheEmpirein79CE,thesameyearthatMt.VesuviuseruptsandburiesthecitiesofPompeiiandHerculaneum.
§ Despitethedisaster,EmperorTituswasknownas“thelightoftheworld”duringhisreign,inrecognitionofhisadministrationandcompletionofhisfather’sColiseumproject.
§ Tituswasmysteriouslykilledin81CE.
Pompeii & Herculaneum
§ Pompeii&neighboringHerculaneumwereburiedonAugust24&August25,79CEbytheeruptionofMt.Vesuvius.
§ PompeiiisthemostimportantarchaeologicalsiteforlearningaboutlifeinaRomancity.
The Imperial Age § OriginallyformedpartofaFourth
Stylewallofanexedra,recessedareaontheopeningoftheatriumofaPompeiianhouse.
§ StandardattributesofRomanmarriageportraitsaredisplayedherewiththemanholdingascrollandthewomanholdingastylusandawaxwritingtablet.
§ Theseportraitssuggestedhigheducationevenifitwasn’ttrueofthesubjects.
§ Theheadsareindividualizedtothesubject’sfeatures,notsimplystandardtypes.
§ Thisistheequivalentofmodernweddingphotographs.
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PortraitofaHusband&Wife;Pompeii,Italy;c.70-79CE
§ Romanpainters’interestinthelikenessofindividualpeoplewasmatchedbytheirconcernforrecordingtheappearanceofeverydayobjects.
§ ThisstilllifedemonstratesthatRomanpainterssoughttocreateillusionisticeffectswhiledepictingsmallobjects.
§ Heretheyusedlightandshadewithattentiontoshadowsandhighlights.
Still-LifewithPeaches,Fresco,Herculaneum,Italy;AD62-79
The Imperial Age
The Imperial Age § Theillusioncreatedhereisthe
furthestadvancebyancientpaintersinrepresentationaltechnique.
§ Itappearsthatthisartistunderstoodthatthelookofthingsisafunctionoflight.Also,thegoalwastopaintlightasifitwereatouchableobjectthatreflectsandabsorbsit.
§ Thismarksthefurthestadvancebyancientpaintersinrepresentationaltechniqueandwasn’tseenagainuntiltheDutchstill-lifesinthe1700’sCE.
ArchofTitus,Rome,Italy;81CE
The Imperial Age § WhenVespasian’solderson,
Titus,diedonlytwoyearsafterbecomingemperor,hisyoungerbrotherDomitian,tookover.DomitianmadethisarchinTitus’shonorontheSacredWayleadingintotheRepublicanForumRomanum.
§ Thistypeofarch,theso-calledtriumphalarch,hasalonghistoryinRomanartandarchitecture,beginninginthesecondcenturyB.C.andcontinuingevenintotheeraofChristianRomanemperors.
The Imperial Age § TheRomanarches
celebratedmorethanjustmilitaryvictories,astheyoftencommemoratedeventssuchasbuildingroadsandbridges.
§ ThisarchcommemoratesTitus’sackofJerusalemaround70CE.
§ Thisistheoldestarchofitskind.
TheSpoilsoftheTempleReliefdepictsthetriumphalparadedowntheSacredWayafterhisreturnfromtheconquestofJudaeaattheendoftheJewishWarsin70CE.Thispanelcontainsadepictionofthesacredseven-branchedmenorah,fromthe
TempleofJerusalem.
The Imperial Age
TheTriumphofTitusReliefdepictstheactualtriumphalprocessionwiththetoga-cladTitusinthechariot,butwiththeadditionofallegoricalfigures(thewinged
VictoryridinginthechariotwithTituswhoplacesawreathonhishead,thegoddessRomaleadingthehorses).Becausethereliefsweredeeplycarved,someofthe
forwardheadshavebrokenoff.
The Imperial Age
The Imperial Age
The High Imperial Age
PortraitBustofHadrianasGeneral,TelShalem,Israel;c.130-138CE
The High Imperial Age § Hadrianwasaconnoisseur
andloverofallthearts,aswellasanauthorandarchitect.
§ TherearemoreexistingportraitsofHadrianthanofanyotheremperor,exceptAugustus.
§ ThoughheruledRomeformorethan20years,heisdepictedinportraitsasamatureadultwhoneverages.
The High Imperial Age § Hadrian’sportraitsmoreclosely
resembleGreekportraitsofPericlesthanthoseofanyRomanemperorbeforehim,undoubtedlyhislikenesseswereinspiredbyClassicalGreekstatuary.
§ Hadrianworeabeard,ahabitthat,initsRomancontext,mustbeviewedasaGreekaffectation(anappearanceormannerassumedorputonasashoworpretense,oftentoimpressothers).
§ BeardsthenbecamethenormforallsubsequentRomanemperorsformorethanacenturyandahalf.MarbleBustofHadrianWearingMilitary
DressTivoli,Italy;c.117-118CE
PantheonRome,Italy;125-128CE
The High Imperial Age § WiththenewEmperor
Hadrianinpower,workonanewtemplededicatedtoallthegodsbegan.
§ ThistemplebecameknownasthePantheon.
§ ExcludingtheuseofaneightCorinthiancolumnfacade,thetemple’sdesignwascompletelyrevolutionaryforitstime.
The High Imperial Age
The High Imperial Age
The High Imperial Age
The High Imperial Age § ThedomeofthePantheon
steadilydecreasesinthicknessfromthedrumtotheapex,andisconstructedfrompumice&Romanconcrete.
§ Intheverymiddlethereisanopeningcalledanoculusthatactsasaskylight.
§ Theoculusistheonlysourceofnaturallightingforthebuilding’sinterior.
The High Imperial Age § Theoculusmeasures30feet
indiameter.§ Thisistheoldestdomed
buildingintheworldthatstillhasitsoriginalroof.
§ FromthisindoorphotoofthePantheonyoucanseethecarvedpanelsaswellastheintenselightthattheoculusprovidesfortheroom.
§ Thesedecorativepanelsarecalledcoffers,andservetwopurposes.
The High Imperial Age
Originally,theinterior’snichesandaltarscontainedimagesoftheRomangodsandgoddesses.However,whenthePantheonwas
consecratedasaCatholicchurchin609CE,theywerereplacedbyimagesofsaintsandthoseburiedwithinthestructure.
The High Imperial Age
The High Imperial Age § DuringHadrian’sreign,he
orderedconstructionofamonumentalstonewalltokeepthe‘barbaric’ScotsandPictsfrominvadingfromtheNorth.
§ This74-milestretchacrossNorthernEnglandisknownasHadrian’sWall.
§ Itwas8-10feetwideand20feettall,withatowerlocatedateverymilemark.
§ Itwasbuiltinonlyabout8years,from122–130CE!
The High Imperial Age
The High Imperial Age
Acta Est Fabula
