ART,
AND SCULPTURE
Augustus
of Prima Porta.
EMPEROR ,THE STATUE AND SYMBOL
SARASIJ MAJUMDER
Augustus (63 BC-14 BC) is regarded as one of the greatest
Emperors in the history of the Roman Empire's dynasties. He followed Julious
Caeser.
The statue of Emperor Augustus, known as the Augustus of
Prima Porta, depicts him as a powerful leader and conqueror, wearing military
regalia and standing with his weight on one leg. The statue also features a
small, winged figure attached to one of his legs. This figure is known as a
cupid, and it is a symbol of Augustus' divine lineage.
According to Roman mythology, Augustus was descended from
the goddess Venus through his adoptive father, Julius Caesar. The cupid on the
statue represents the divine ancestry of Augustus and symbolizes his divine
right to rule. The figure also carries a number of other symbolic meanings,
such as representing love and victory.
The statue is one of the most famous surviving sculptures
from ancient Rome and is now on display in the Vatican Museum. It was
discovered in 1863 in the ruins of the Villa of Livia near Rome and is believed
to have been created around 20 BC, during the early years of Augustus' reign.
Augustus adopted his grandsons, Iulia’s sons by
Agrippa: Gaius Caesar, Lucius Caesar, and, later, Agrippa
Postumus. The first two predeceased him, the last was compromised by a scandal
and exiled, then eliminated by Tiberius right after Augustus died.
The statue of Emperor Augustus, is indeed features a
peculiar addition that has puzzled many visitors over the years. Attached to
one leg of the statue is a baby, known as Cupid or Eros in Greek mythology.
This intriguing detail holds significant symbolism and reflects the political
and cultural climate of ancient Rome during Augustus’ reign.
This statue is famous, very famous. It’s an original statue
from Augustus’s life. It was owned by Augustus’s beloved wife Livia. Although the
artist is unknown, the statue is dated to 20BC, during his lifetime. It was
discovered on April 20, 1863 in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta. Livia was
Augustus' wife who retired at the villa after his death. The statue was first publicized by the German archaeologist
G. Heinzen and was put into the Bulletino dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza
Archaeologica (Rome 1863). Crafted by skilled Greek sculptors, the marble
statue is believed to be a copy of a lost original bronze piece displayed in
Rome.
Since discovery, it is relocated at VATICAN.
I saw it there in 1994, during my visit to Vatican. I made a
repeat visit in 2002. I have visited all the best MUSEUMS of EUROPE.
Originally the statue was not white- it was painted. The
paint has faded and left us with the marble white finish. This entire thing
about the statue being painted is actually rather significant but a story for
another day.
So why the naked baby of the baby boy--CUPID?
Well, it goes back to Caesar. Gaius Julius Caesar
was a member of the Gens Julia family- an uber-rich and powerful noble family
that had been around for centuries. The members of the Julia family had long
claimed an association with the Goddess Venus. Caesar himself publicly
professed he was in a relationship with Venus and that Venus was protecting
him. In fact, Caesar often bragged about his super-human good luck which he
attributed to his association with Venus.
When Caesar was murdered, he adopted Augustus via his final will.
Augustus went by “Gaius Julius Caesar” for the rest of his life to honour his
father. Additionally, going by “Caesar” was a good political move. Caesar was
popular and famous and being a “second Caesar” would be like being a “second
FDR” or something to that effect.
Anyway, Augustus wanted to further elevate Caesar because if
Caesar was elevated, so was Augustus. So, Augustus deified Caesar and turned
himself into a semi-god. This meant that Augustus was now the heir to a
political dynasty and the son of a god. Who could question his supreme
authority if his dad was a god by right?
This brings us to the baby. The baby isn’t a baby, notice
the wings. The baby is Cupid riding a Dolphin. Cupid was the messenger god for
Venus. Starting to get the symbolic idea? The baby is symbolic of Augustus’s
association with Venus and by extension Caesar.
So, this small boy, CUPID in the corner was a bit of propaganda,
and history in the guise of SYMBOLISM served multiple purposes, as explained
below:--
- It
reminded people that Augustus was associated with Caesar.
- It
reminded people that Augustus was protected by Venus, as CUPID is known as
Son of Venus.
3.
The use of allegorical
figures and symbolism in statues was a common practice in ancient Roman
art.
4.
Artists often employed allegorical elements to
convey deeper meanings and messages, allowing viewers to interpret the
symbolism and connect with the ideals and values represented.
5.
Beyond this, there is another purpose. Purely
Engineering/Structural.
6.
That statue is very top-heavy and those 2 little
ankle supports were not enough. So, the sculptor needed to add more girth to
the feet so that the weight could be supported. Without the extra support of one leg, the statue will break and
be damaged, as one leg is taking whole load.
7.
The dolphin became a symbol of Augustus' great
naval victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE,
a conquest that made Augustus the sole ruler of the Empire.
The Augustus Statue is a full-length portrait statue of
Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The marble statue
stands 2.08 meters (6 feet 10 inches) tall and weighs about 1,000 kilograms
(2,200 lb). There are many BASTS of AUGUSTUS are available in many Museums—the
face in most of them, look younger, and slightly different.
H This statue has become the best known of Augustus' statues
and one of the most famous sculptures of the ancient Roman world since its discovery.
SOURCES:- My Collection: A HANDBOOK OF GREEK AND ROMAN
SCULPTURE
1.0 https://www.ganjing.com/video/1fbsuqn6knp5pnB0ykFNfbrJD1291c
2.0 https://ancientart.as.ua.edu/augustus-of-prima-porta/#:~:text=Although%20the%20artist%20is%20unknown,the%20villa%20after%20his%20death.
3.0 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/247993
4.0 Image:- GOOGLE
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