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The Pantheon: Making Connections
The Roman emperors surely did not invent political propaganda, but they were experts at it. The Emperor Hadrian paid for and may have designed The Pantheon which is a religious temple dedicated to all...
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Augustus of Primaporta: Spin City
Perhaps the Romans were not the most original artists, but they really knew how to work with what they borrowed. Augustus of Primaporta, c. 20 BCE, Marble, 6’8”, Musei Vaticani, Braccio Nuovo, Rome,...
View ArticleJust a Second: Verism
Verism (noun) From the Latin word meaning “true,” verism is the name of a style of portraiture that is hyperrealistic and emphasizes individual features. The Romans created veristic portraits of older...
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The Arch of Constantine: What’s with the Bad Sculpture?
Actually, only some of the sculptures are bad… and only compared to others on the same monument. Art historians refer to this as a problem. At the very least, it’s curious. The Emperor Constantine...
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The Roman Colosseum: A Great Space for a (Completely) Different Kind of Game
Nothing brings an empire together like a good mock naval battle – at least, that’s what the Roman emperor Vespasian always said. Following the welcome demise of the reign of the Julio-Claudian...
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Just a Second: Ambulatory
Ambulatory (noun) A place for walking, usually an aisle in a church around the apse. In Santa Costanza in Rome, the mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Constantine’s daughter Constantina, the ambulatory is...
View ArticleConstantine’s Big Ol’ Head
Not long after the Roman Emperor Constantine defeated his foe Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, wresting control of the Roman Empire, he left Italy in 324 CE to found Constantinople, which...
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