Part 2 Galerie des portraits

Head of Antoninus Pius

0%
Head of Antoninus Pius
Head of Antoninus Pius
Head of Antoninus Pius
Head of Antoninus Pius
Head of Antoninus Pius
Head of Antoninus Pius
Head of Antoninus Pius
Head of Antoninus Pius
Biographic data
86 - 161
Emperor from 138 to 161
Date de création
Approximately 138 - 140
Material
Göktepe marble, district 3 (Turkey)
Dimensions
H. 42 x l. 25,5 x P. 26,5 (cm)
Inventory number
Ra 60 (1)

Unlike his predecessor Hadrian, Emperor Antoninus Pius had only one type of portrait, both on coins and for in the round marble carvings, despite having reigned for twenty-three years. This one, unlike all the other portraits of this emperor, seems to be the only one on which the iris and pupil have been omitted from the eyes. It is known, however, that this technique was adopted around the year 130 in lieu of the paint that had hitherto been used to bring these representations to life.

This outstanding portrait, which was designed in Rome, still has three small « bumps » at the back of the head, obviously overlooked by the sculptor in charge of the final polishing process. They are explained by the fact that the duplication of an official portrait relied on faithfully reproducing a prototype, in plaster or clay, which served as a reference for all copies made of noble materials such as marble. A pair of compasses and a plumb line were used to transfer reference points selected on the model to be copied, onto the marble block. The « bumps » or measuring points still present on this work prove that on the best copies that came out of the capital’s workshops, the back of the head was copied with as much care as the face. This portrait was probably sent to Chiragan shortly after the advent of Antoninus Pius to complete the series of imperial representation on display on the estate.

According to J.-C. Balty 2012, Les portraits romains, 1 : Le siècle des Antonins, 1.2 (Sculptures antiques de Chiragan (Martres-Tolosane), Toulouse, p. 195-205.

Bibliography

  • Landes, Guiéorguiéva, Kramérovskis 1994 C. Landes, M. Guiéorguiéva, V. Kramérovskis (eds.), Le stade romain et ses spectacles. Exposition, Musée archéologique Henri Prades, Lattes, 4 June - 20 October 1994, Lattes
    .     p. 193, no 30
  • 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. 29-34, fig. 20-24, 27, p. 197-198, 200, 202-205, fig. 123, 124, 127, 130, 132, 134-136
  • Braemer 1981 F. Braemer, « Restauration et dérestauration des ‘antique’. L’exemple des sculptures de Chiragan à Martres-Tolosane conservées au Musée Saint-Raymond à Toulouse, » Restaurer les restaurations. Colloque de Toulouse, 22-25 avril 1980 (Les Cahiers de la section française de l’ICOMOS), Paris, pp. 53–61
    .     p. 56
  • Braemer 1952 F. Braemer, « Les portraits antiques trouvés à Martres-Tolosane, » Bulletin de la Société Nationale des Antiquaires de France, pp. 143–148
    .     p. 145
  • 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. 124
  • Du Mège 1835 A. Du Mège, Description du musée des Antiques de Toulouse, Toulouse
    .     p. 113-5, no 201
  • Du Mège 1828 A. Du Mège, Notice des monumens antiques et des objets de sculpture moderne conservés dans le musée de Toulouse, Toulouse
    .     p. 64-65
  • Espérandieu 1908 É. Espérandieu, Recueil général des bas-reliefs de la Gaule romaine, 2. Aquitaine, Paris
    .     p. 67, no 962
  • Fittschen, Zanker 1985 K. Fittschen, P. Zanker, Katalog der römischen Porträts in den Capitolinischen Museen und den anderen kommunalen Sammlungen der Stadt Rom, Mainz
    .     p. 180
  • Joulin 1901 L. Joulin, Les établissements gallo-romains de la plaine de Martres-Tolosane, Paris
    .     no 276 B p. 118
  • Massendari 2006 J. Massendari, La Haute-Garonne : hormis le Comminges et Toulouse 31/1 (Carte archéologique de la Gaule), Paris
    .     p. 244, fig. 106
  • Rachou 1912 H. Rachou, Catalogue des collections de sculpture et d’épigraphie du musée de Toulouse, Toulouse
    .     p. 42-3, no 60
  • Rosso 2006 E. Rosso, L’image de l’empereur en Gaule romaine : portraits et inscriptions (Archéologie et histoire de l’art), Paris
    .     p. 458-459, no 219
  • Wegner 1939 M. Wegner, Die Herrscherbildnisse in antoninischer Zeit (Das römische Herrscherbild), Berlin
    .     p. 151, 279, 282
  • Wegner, Unger 1979 M. Wegner, R. Unger, « Verzeichnis der Kaiserbildnisse von Antoninus Pius bis Commodus, » Boreas. Münstersche Beiträge zur Archäologie, 2, pp. 87–181
    .     p. 121
  • Centro de Exposiciones Arte Canal 2007 Centro de Exposiciones Arte Canal, Roma S.P.Q.R : Senatus Populus Que Romanus. Exhibition Centro de Exposiciones Arte Canal, Madrid, 20 november 2007 - 2 march 2008, Madrid
    .     p. 90-91 no 16
  • Musée Saint-Raymond 2011 Musée Saint-Raymond, L’image et le pouvoir : le siècle des Antonins. Exhibition, Musée Saint-Raymond, Toulouse, 19 November 2011 - 18 March 2012, Toulouse
    .     p. 10, 41
  • 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. 43, no 5
  • Musée d’archéologie méditerranéenne 1997 Musée d’archéologie méditerranéenne, Égypte romaine : l’autre Égypte. Exhibition, Musée d’archéologie méditerranéenne, Marseille, 4 April - 13 July 1997, Marseille-Paris
    .     no 22

To cite this notice

Capus P., "Head of Antoninus Pius", in The sculptures of the roman villa of Chiragan, Toulouse, 2019, online <https://villachiragan.saintraymond.toulouse.fr/en/ark:/87276/a_ra_60_1>.