Description: The statue of the Equestrian Domitian-Nerva is made of bronze and the bronze has traces of a red/brown tint. The body of the statue itself is mostly preserved, however pieces of the neck are missing as is the right eye. The head and front legs of the horse are preserved and the rest of the horse's body is a modern reconstruction. The man (Domitian-Nerva) is riding horseback and would have, presumably, been holding a spear. There is also a seam in the metal work where the face of Nerva was added on as Domitian’s face was taken off. The face of the statue of Equestrian Domitian-Nerva is the face of Nerva. Nerva has downward facing eyebrows, an elongated/hooked nose, and a small chin. Furthermore, Nerva has an aged face as he has lines and creases around his mouth, nose, and on his forehead. There is a sense of verism, however it is not an extreme case. Both Domitian and Nerva had a full head of curly hair as seen in this bronze statue. The body of the statue is that of Domitian’s. The emperor is wearing a metal breastplate, or a cuirass, as well as his military cloak, also known as a paludamentum, over his left shoulder. He is also wearing senatorial shoes. The breastplate is ornately decorated with the head of Medusa in the center and Hercules as an infant slaying snakes on the right shoulder strap. Significance: The appearance of Equestrian Domitian-Nerva is significant in that it tells the story of both Domitian and Nerva. The statue was commissioned for Domitian. Scholars know that the body of the statue is that of Domitian because of the baby Hercules on the shoulder strap. Domitian’s identification with Hercules is his attempt to show that he comes from a divine lineage/family and that he is perhaps similar to Hercules. The head of Medusa in the center of the breastplate is meant to be an apotropaic symbol, meaning that it is supposed to act as a protective device and ward off evil. While it is not entirely certain, it is believed that the statue of Domitian-Nerva is engaged in some sort of hunt. The statue has on senatorial shoes and not military boots; the senatorial shoes are for civilian magistrates and would not have been worn during battle. These shoes show his elite status, as he is the Emperor of Rome. Additionally, scholars state that he is not equipped with a shield, sword, and helmet making it extremely unlikely that this statue is portraying anything military related. The statue also instills a new sense of manliness, or a new virtue. While past statues/representations of emperors have focused on the manliness of participating in military conquests/activities, the statue of Equestrian Domitian-Nerva shows how a man could be seen as manly if he engaged in the act of a hunt (i.e. lions, deer, etc.). Domitian was a skilled hunter and was often on a hunt; the statue would have shown that in its original state. It is odd to see Nerva hunting as it was not an acitivity he engaged in. The importance of Nerva, in the case of this statue, comes to play with only the face. As mentioned above, the entirety of the body is attributed with Domitian. After Domitian’s damnatio memoriae, the face of the Domitian statue was replaced with the face of Nerva, making it now a statue of Nerva. This is a clear example of how a statue of a former emperor could have been reworked into a statue of a new/current emperor. The face of Nerva has age defining elements (i.e. long nose, his eyebrows, creases around mouth/nose) on it. It is important to note that Nerva was 66 years old so he in fact was old. Nerva has curly hair, which is especially evident on his forehead. This is his attempt at connecting himself with the Augustan and Julio-Claudian modes of representation. This might be an attempt to break himself away from the Flavians or perhaps just Domitian.
Italy, Misenum, Sacellum of the Augustales