Colossal Head of Constantine
Title
Colossal Head of Constantine
Date
ca. AD 312-315
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
marble (and wood)
Height of the work
260 cm
Provenience
Italy, Rome, Basilica of Maxentius
Current Location
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
Sitter Biography
This is the head of Constantine, one of the emperors of Rome. He is the son of Constantius, an Augustus of Rome in the western part of the empire. When Constantius dies Constantine becomes a Caesar in the western part of the empire. After much infighting with Maxentius and Licinius, Constantine defeats them both and becomes the sole Augustus in AD 324. One of the acts that Constantine is most well known for is his conversation to Christianity and granting religious freedom to Christians through the Edict of Milan in AD 313.
Description and Significance
Description-
The Colossal Head of Constantine is a piece of a much larger seated statue of Constantine, though only some of the pieces remain including a hand, part of an arm, both feet, a piece of the body, and a leg. The state is massive, the head itself is taller than an average size person. Because it is so large it was made of both stone and wood in order to be supported. The bust is jagged at the base of the neck where it would have been attached to the rest of the body; there is a crack on the neck right below the chin as well. The face is smooth and youthful with slightly parted lips and his gaze looking upward, a nod to the portraits of Alexander the Great. There are slight bags under his eyes and a line across his forehead. The hair is carved short but with curved locks. The left ear has some damage as well as the left eye.
Significance-
This portrait would have originally been seen in the apse of the Basilica of Maxentius. Reconstructions of the statue suggest that Constantine was seated and dressed like Zeus, legitimatizing his power as the sole ruler of Rome. This is an interesting suggestion given Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Some suggest that he was really trying to connect to the Christian God.
The Colossal Head of Constantine is a piece of a much larger seated statue of Constantine, though only some of the pieces remain including a hand, part of an arm, both feet, a piece of the body, and a leg. The state is massive, the head itself is taller than an average size person. Because it is so large it was made of both stone and wood in order to be supported. The bust is jagged at the base of the neck where it would have been attached to the rest of the body; there is a crack on the neck right below the chin as well. The face is smooth and youthful with slightly parted lips and his gaze looking upward, a nod to the portraits of Alexander the Great. There are slight bags under his eyes and a line across his forehead. The hair is carved short but with curved locks. The left ear has some damage as well as the left eye.
Significance-
This portrait would have originally been seen in the apse of the Basilica of Maxentius. Reconstructions of the statue suggest that Constantine was seated and dressed like Zeus, legitimatizing his power as the sole ruler of Rome. This is an interesting suggestion given Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Some suggest that he was really trying to connect to the Christian God.
References
Kleiner, D. E.E. 1994. Roman Sculpture, New Haven. pgs 431-445.
http://www.museicapitolini.org/en/percorsi/percorsi_per_sale/museo_del_palazzo_dei_conservatori/cortile/statua_colossale_di_costantino_testa
http://www.museicapitolini.org/en/percorsi/percorsi_per_sale/museo_del_palazzo_dei_conservatori/cortile/statua_colossale_di_costantino_testa
Contributor
Nina Cardillo
Citation
Unknown, “Colossal Head of Constantine,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A - "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed May 20, 2024, https://classicalchopped2.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/55.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.