This imperial portrait head originates
from one
of the North African provinces of the
Roman
Empire. From the time of Augustus
onwards the
imperial family and its circle
monopolised official
public statuary. Imperial portraits were
displayed
in sebasteia, or temples of the imperial
cult.
Along with coins, sculpture was the
preferred
means of disseminating the emperor’s
image.
Scholars believe that official portraits
were
created in the capital city of Rome and
disseminated across the empire to serve
as
prototypes for local workshops. Despite
this
attempt at uniformity, local stylistic
traits could
not be suppressed and there was great
regional
variety across the empire.
This marble bust depicts Julius Caesar
whose
military and political career witnessed
the
transition between the end of the Roman
Republic and the foundation of the
Empire.
Renowned for his military conquests in
Gaul and
his attempted invasion of Britain in 55
B.C.,
Caesar soon won immense popular support.
As a
member of the triumvirate his reputation
grew,
and led to his victory in the civil war
that
followed the break-up of this
partnership. In
popular imagination Caesar is perhaps
most
notorious for the manner of his death,
assassinated on the Ides of March, 44
B.C. by a
group of aristocrats who feared his
growing
authority. Ironically, for these
defenders of
Republicanism, their actions only
speeded the
demise of the Republic. A second civil
war
followed and the Empire then became
consolidated under Caesar’s adopted son
Octavius, later known as Augustus.
Partly in reaction to the popular
outrage at
Caesar’s murder, the Senate decided to
deify him
in 42 B.C. Marble busts proliferated and
this
piece is a particularly fine example of
the
phenomenon. The head is tilted slightly
to the
right and the gaze is pensive. There is
a
suggestion of clothing at the base of
the neck
but the block of marble retains a
slightly
unfinished appearance that adds to its
charm.
Carved in very high relief, rather than
in the
round, the surface has an attractive
warm patina.
