Heroic bust of a man
- Date de création
- Approximately 230 - 240
- Material
- Göktepe marble, district 3 (Turkey)
- Dimensions
- H. 61,5 x l. 53 x P. 29 (cm)
- Inventory number
- Ra 123
Following the assassination of Severus Alexander, the 3rd century was marked by almost continuous civil war. Generals were raised to the head of the Empire by their armies, yet none of these emperors reigned for long, and ended up being assassinated by their successors. This period was known as « Military Anarchy ».
This work is reminiscent of the style adopted for the sculpted portraits of military emperors Maximinus Thrax (235-238) and Gordian I (238). The hair, both very short and soft-looking, is also characteristic of the art of portraiture during this period. The face is calm and restrained. The bare chest occupies a lot of space, the folds of the cloak are deeply furrowed, and the gaze is expressive thanks to the engraved irises and the pupils marked by two dots.
There are holes above and behind the left ear as well as on the right side of the skull. Also worth noting are the strange shapes of the helix, anthelix and orifice, which is even more obvious on the right ear, where there is a strange oblong-shaped cavity. So many abnormalities that testify to hesitations, and maybe even to the re-carving of at least part of the portrait.
P. Capus
Bibliography
- Balty, Cazes, Rosso 2012 J.-C. Balty, D. Cazes, E. Rosso, Les portraits romains, 1 : Le siècle des Antonins, 1.2 (Sculptures antiques de Chiragan (Martres-Tolosane), Toulouse. p. 66, fig. 61, p. 269, fig. 205
- Cazes et al. 1999 D. Cazes, E. Ugaglia, V. Geneviève, L. Mouysset, J.-C. Arramond, Q. Cazes, Le Musée Saint-Raymond : musée des Antiques de Toulouse, Toulouse-Paris. p. 138
- De Lachenal et al. 1986 L. De Lachenal, B. Palma Venetucci, M.E. Micheli, Soprintendenza archeologica di Roma, Museo nazionale romano : I, Le sculture. 6, I marmi Ludovisi dispersi, Rome. p. 48-53
- Espérandieu 1908 É. Espérandieu, Recueil général des bas-reliefs de la Gaule romaine, 2. Aquitaine, Paris. no 972
- Joulin 1901 L. Joulin, Les établissements gallo-romains de la plaine de Martres-Tolosane, Paris. no 269 D
- Massendari 2006 J. Massendari, La Haute-Garonne : hormis le Comminges et Toulouse 31/1 (Carte archéologique de la Gaule), Paris. p. 249, fig. 117
- Perrot 1891 G. Perrot, « Rapport sur les fouilles de Martres, » Revue Archéologique, 18, pp. 56–73.
- Rachou 1912 H. Rachou, Catalogue des collections de sculpture et d’épigraphie du musée de Toulouse, Toulouse. no 123
- Musée Saint-Raymond 1995 Musée Saint-Raymond, Le regard de Rome : portraits romains des musées de Mérida, Toulouse et Tarragona. Exhibition, Mérida, Museo nacional de arte romano ; Toulouse, Musée Saint-Raymond ; Tarragone, Museu nacional arqueològic de Tarragona, 1995, Toulouse. p. 159, no 114
To cite this notice
Capus P., "Heroic bust of a man", in The sculptures of the roman villa of Chiragan, Toulouse, 2019, online <https://villachiragan.saintraymond.toulouse.fr/en/ark:/87276/a_ra_123>.