Copenhagen Vespasian

Copenhagen Vespasian

Flavian, ca. AD 70-79

Unknown

Marble

40 cm tall

Likely from Naples

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark

Vespasian was born in AD 9 to a humble, equestrian family. His early career in the military was marked by numerous successes, leading to his ten year reign as emperor. He came to imperial power in AD 69 during the civil war following the death of Nero. Vespasian’s reign is most notably characterized by his fiscal reforms and consolidation of the empire which led the way to political stability and a vast Roman building program. After his death in 79, he was succeeded by his eldest son Titus, thus becoming the first Roman emperor to be directly succeeded by his own natural son and establishing the Flavian dynasty that would rule over the Roman Empire for 27 years.

Description:
This marble portrait of Vespasian depicts the Flavian emperor in the veristic style. The sculptor has emphasized Vespasian’s age and experience through the fleshy face, deep-set wrinkles along the forehead and neck, nasolabial lines, and balding head. Many of portraits of the emperor contain distinctive facial features that are evident in this portrait such as, the broad forehead, small, close-set eyes, arched eyebrows, thin lips, and hooked nose. However, the nose of this particular portrait has been broken off, along with parts of the ears. A bronze peg is set into the crown of the head and a hole appears in the nape of the neck, indicating that a wreath once rested on the emperor’s head. The neck has been formed for insertion into a full-body statue.

Significance:
This portrait of Vespasian marks a break with Julio-Claudian portraiture. Its veristic style both references the honored Republican tradition and counters the youthfulness common in the portraits of the emperors who preceded him. This change in style reflects the emperor’s desire to distance himself from the controversial periods of rule that came before him. Vespasian is portrayed modestly, reflecting his popularity among the empire as an “every-man.” He brought wealth into the capital and was successful militarily; this portrait emanates the type of determination he was known for throughout these accomplishments.

Fleming, J. 1995. Catalogue Roman Portraits: Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Volume 2, pp. 28-29.

Varner, E. 2000. From Caligula to Constantine: Tyranny and Transformation in Roman Portraiture, Atlanta, pp. 134-139.

Kleiner, D. E. E. 1994. Roman Sculpture, New Haven, pp. 171-177. http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=386

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vespasian

http://museum.classics.cam.ac.uk/collections/casts/vespasian

Lauren Kershenbaum