Met Caracalla

Met Caracalla.jpg

Title

Met Caracalla

Date

Severan Period, AD 212-217

Artist or Workshop

Unknown

Materials

Marble

Height of the work

36.2 cm tall

Provenience

Italy, Rome

Current Location

The Met, New York, NY, United States

Sitter Biography

Caracalla was the son of Septimius Severus and born AD 188 in Gaul. He was the second emperor during the Severan dynasty and began his rule in AD 198 alongside his father until his death in AD 211. Caracalla and his brother, Geta, then ruled as co-emperors until Caracalla had Geta murdered to take sole control over Rome. Caracalla left Rome in AD 213 on a military campaign and never returned. During his journeys, Caracalla became enthralled with Alexander the Great, mimicking his style in his portraiture. Upon his death in AD 217, Caracalla was subjugated to an unofficial damnatio memoriae.

Description and Significance

Description:
This marble sculpture depicts Caracalla’s head from the base of his neck to the top of his head. His head is turned sharply to his left, and his eyes look upwards and to his left. He has a short-cropped haircut and trimmed beard. His head is shaped like a block and he has a squarish face. The facial X is formed from exaggerated musculature above his eyebrows and deep nasolabial lines around his mouth. His mouth carries no expression, but the heavy furrowed brow creates a scowl on his face.


Significance:
Caracalla distinguished himself from previous emperors in the Severan dynasty by portraying himself in sculpture with a short-cropped, military haircut and a stubble beard, unlike the long curls of hair and full beard of other Severan emperors. The characteristic sharp turn in his head found in his other portraits can be an attempt to connect with Alexander the Great in terms of military conquest and victory. The Met Caracalla is an example of a psychological portrait. The facial X is meant to communicate an intensity in Caracalla’s personality. The beginning of his sole rule over Rome began with the murder of his brother and his rule was characterized as violent.

References

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/253592

Scott, Andrew (2008). Change and Discontinuity Within the Severan Dynasty: The Case of Macrinus. Rutgers. p. 139.

Sillar, Shamus (2001). Caracalla and Imperial Administration 212–217. pp. iii.

Contributor

Isabella Laurel

Citation

Unknown, “Met Caracalla,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A - "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed November 5, 2024, https://classicalchopped2.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/48.

Item Relations

This item has no relations.