This beautiful and serene representation of a
woman was carved at the height of Roman
Imperial power, and is an outstanding example
of classical sculpture. Roman Imperial statuary
was perhaps the ultimate expression of
conspicuous consumption in a society that was
defined by status, wealth and heritage. The
emperor was a semi-divine entity in the eyes of
the Roman people, and most of the friezes and
statues made of the imperial family bore out this
fact. It was not uncommon for emperors to be
portrayed as Jupiter or Mars, and the sizeable
pantheon of Roman deities always provided
further guises for the glorification of increasingly
effete emperors as the Roman world declined
into decadence.
Aristocrats and social climbers aped this trend,
having themselves depicted as legendary heroes
or gods, while prosperous Roman matrons and
debutantes were more restrained, choosing to be
represented as Diana – goddess of hunting,
chastity, and the moon – or Venus, the goddess
of love, beauty and fertility. Venus was doubly
important to the Romans because the founder of
Rome – Romulus – was, with his twin Remus,
descended from Aeneas, who was the son of
Venus. This fact was important to the emperors,
who claimed that Julius Caesar, Augustus and all
of their line were also descended from Romulus,
and were thus divine in their own right.
Sculptures of this type are known as Venus
Marina statues, and can be identified by the
coiffure and diadem. This type was especially
popular in port towns, and examples have been
excavated in places such as Pompeii and Ostia,
the major port for Rome. This serene woman is
likely to have been an empress or similarly
aristocratic member of the Antonine or Hadrianic
dynasties. Her face is set in the traditionally
impassive poise that characterises the period,
with rimmed almond eyes under arched brows,
high cheekbones curving gracefully to a rounded
jaw, a firm chin and set, straight lips. Her
forehead is high and straight, framed by a waved
coiffure and topped by a wide diademic band.
This is a striking and imposing piece of ancient
art.
