Unit 3: Annotation: Bust of ‘Clytie’

I chose the portrait bust of ‘Clytie’ to annotate because it is a beautiful bust, yet many questions are unanswered as to her identity and the function of this bust. One can make many postulations about it and try to find evidence to support them, and this is one of the roles of art history.

Bust of 'Clytie' (AD 40-50) [marble] Ht: 57.0cm, British Museum

       This is a life-sized portrait bust of a lady. The sculpture encompasses the head and neck, upper torso, shoulders and upper arms. She appears to be a beautiful young lady with classical idealistic qualities. The features of the face are depicted realistically and proportionately with no distortion.

       The bust is made of marble and appears white. The stand have a different marbling pattern compared to the lady and probably is not made from the same stock of stone as the bust and may not be made at the same time. There are some brownish discoloration and the upper neck and at the statue’s back (not seen here).

       Her wavy hair is neatly coifed, parted centre with some long strands lying on her shoulders. Her head is turned slightly to the right and her gaze is directed downwards. Her expression is serene and sad at the same time. She is wearing loose drapery that has been intricately carved to denote folds. The left shoulder and breast are exposed and this makes the lady appear sensuous and erotic. The sculpture ends at the lower level of her breasts with a calyx of leaves or petals surrounding her body.

       The face and skin of the lady appear smooth but these are contrasted with finely-detailed and textured areas of the hair and folds of the clothing. Although, the figure had an upright posture, the leaves appeared to be moving outwards from the centre with their convex curving.

       The turning of the head to one side and the downward gaze and the asymmetrically placed clothing as well as the curving of the leaves make the bust appear three dimensional, dynamic and alive and leads the viewer’s eye to move  around the figure. This was possible with the inclusion of the upper torso to contrast with pivoting of the head on the neck.

       Who is this lady? The identity of the lady in the bust has been widely debated with no clear consensus. It is widely known as Clytie, a mythical nymph that was turned into a sunflower by Helios when she mourned that her love for Apollo which was not requited. The calyx of flora supported this as they represent that Clytie emerges from the sunflower.

       Another postulation was that this lady is Agrippina the Elder, daughter of Marcus Agrippa and grand-daughter of Emperor Augustus. The hairstyle of centre parting and a singular wavy strand at the sides of the neck reaching the shoulder is similar to that of the statue of Agrippina the Elder that is in the Musei Capitolini in Rome and also the brass coin issued by Caligula with a portrait of Agrippina, although the strands of hair on the sides of the neck were thicker ad longer in the Musei Capitolini bust.

   

       Other theories include Isis, Antonia Minor who is the mother of Emperor Claudius and a Roman lady of that period portrayed as Ariadne.

       Some had said the statue is of 18^th century origin. The British Museum believed that it is a genuine Roman sculpture because it is made of Parian marble that was only reopened in the 19^th century and there were evidence of encrustation in the underside of the leaves but the surface may have been reworked in the 18^th century to show a more sensuous woman.

       What is the purpose of this statue? It could be commissioned by a lady in a wealthy family so that she can display it in her home. Or if this is really an imperial portrait, it could be made from a prototype and distributed through Rome for the public to admire. Or its purpose had changed in that it had been reworked at a later time to suit the taste of that period.

Bibliography

Pollitt, J.J.  (1993) ‘Rome: The Republic and Early Empire’. in The Oxford history of classical art. ed by Boardman, J. New York: Oxford University Press, 217-295.

Department: Greek and Roman Antiquities, (n.d.) Marble bust of ‘Clytie’ [online] British Museum website. Available from www.britishmuseum.org [Accessed on 28 February 2011]

Musei Capitolini. (n.d.) Portrait of Agrippina the Elder [online] Musei Capitolini website. Available from http://en.museicapitolini.org [Accessed on 28 February 2011)

Unit 3 Roman Art

Roman Art refers to art that is inspired by and has the source of patronage of the Roman political and social system. It is not bound by the geography of Rome (it encompasses the Roman empire from the European coast of the Atlantic ocean to Mesopotamia, from Scotland to northern Africa) or that the creators of the art are from Rome or living in Rome (some are from Italian provinces and some even from Greece), as opposed to Greek Art which were created by Greek people.

       Roman art mostly portray realism of their own culture such as hairstyles, dress, housing, portraiture, scenes of domestic life and patterns. There is more realism in Roman Art compared to the idealism of the Greeks. The sculptures portray the life-like imperfections of the subjects whether it is a less than aesthetic nose or a tired appearance. Roman Art also emphasis art purely for enjoyment in itself and not related to any religious purposes or worship of deities. Some works of art have been commissioned by aristocrats for their homes. The different cultures and politics allows a different development of Roman Art when compared to earlier civilizations. 

       It has been suggested that Roman Art has no identity of its own because they are copied from and inspired by earlier cultures especially Greek Art such as in its architecture, relief sculptures and free standing sculptures. Most Roman sculptures are reminiscence of Greek classical poses. The Romans are also credited with providing copies of Greek sculptures which are what we mostly have now of Greek art for study.

However on closer examination, Roman Art has its own unique contributions and inventions. These include: the portrait busts, triumphal arches, Roman lettering and commemorative columns. In addition to that, there are also Roman paintings, mosaic work, wall decorations, coins and pottery that show life during Roman times.

Roman Architecture:

Roman architecture achieved its greatness because of the development of arch and vaulting, the use of slow-drying concrete to build entire structures and the inheritance of classical orders from Greece.

Pantheon of Hadrian (AD 118-128)

The Pantheon of Hadrian in Rome is a building that encapsulates all the great achievement of Roman architecture. The building consists of a Classical-looking portico in the front and a rotunda as its interior. The rectangular portico comprises granite Corinthian columns with an entablature and a high pediment. 

The Classical front portico of the Pantheon, Rome (© Sullivan MA)

       The rotunda consists of a dome and a drum. The dome is a hemisphere in which the radius is the same as the height of the drum. A perfect sphere would have fitted inside the interior with the upper half the same as the dome and lower half inside the drum. The construction of the dome is possible with the use of slow-drying concrete.

The rotunda of the Pantheon (©Labrador E)

Dome of the Pantheon

 

Colosseum (AD 70-82)

The Colosseum was a massive amphitheatre built during the Flavian Dynasty. It can sear 50,000 people. Column with arches surround the structure. The ground floor uses Doric columns, the first floor uses Ionic columns and the second floor uses Corinthian columns. Although the columns are for aesthetic purposes only, the whole structure is made with functionality in mind. The large crowd is able to enter and exit with relative ease using the large surrounding corridors and staircases.

The Colosseum (AD 70-82)

 

Sculptures

The Roman sculptures mostly followed the classical poses of Greek sculptures. A lot of Roman copies of Greek sculptures were made for the decoration for private homes. However Roman sculptures are also different in the sense that they are less idealistic compared to Greek sculptures. They  tended  to depict the figures more realistically with their physical imperfections, old age and tired looks.

Ara Pacis Augustae (13-9 BC)

The Ara Pacis is an altar that was sculpted to celebrate the return of Emperor Augustus after successful diplomatic peace arrangements with the provinces of Spain and Gaul. It has relief sculptures going all around its walls. They showed prominent important Roman people of the empire standing around in a sacrificial procession and having conversations with each other. Although the figures follow Greek models, the Roman figures are more realistic in its physical sense and also actions of the figures: a child tugging at a tunic and a lady telling a couple to hush their conversation.

Detail of the relief sculpture of Ara Pacis

 

Portrait Bust

The portrait bust developed from earlier Roman tradition of wax death mask that is carried during funerary processions. The portrait bust is a sculpture that is unique to Roman Art. It is a sculpture that is made to the likeness of a person including all their less than idealistic features such as warts and wrinkles and tired looks. It encompasses the head, neck and upper torso.  The inclusion of the upper torso allows a more dynamic rendering of the person’s head. The bust is used to depict the common person but is also used widely as an imperial cult. 

Portrait bust of Emperor Hadrian (left) and a Roman Lady (right)

 

Bibliography

Bantz, J. (1971) Ancient Rome: The Age and its Art. [online] available from http://www.youtube.com [23 February 2011]

Bust of Emperor Hadrian. (2nd century AD)[marble] [online image] Place: Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy. Available from: http://www.bridgemaneducation.com [Accessed: 1 March 2011]

Detail of the Ara Pacis. (9-12 BC)[marble] [online image] Place: Rome, Italy. Available from: http://www.bridgemaneducation.com [Accessed: 1 March 2011]

Honour, H. and Fleming, J. (2009) A world history of art. Revised 7^th ed. London: Laurence King

Labrador, E. (2010) Pantheon, Rome. [online image]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome [Accessed 24 February 2011]

Pollitt, J.J.  (1993) ‘Rome: The Republic and Early Empire’. in The Oxford history of classical art. ed by Boardman, J. New York: Oxford University Press, 217-295.

Portrait of a Lady. (2nd century AD)[bronze] [online image] Place: Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, USA. Available from: http://www.bridgemaneducation.com [Accessed: 1 March 2011]

Silleck, B. (1989) Imperial stone the art of Rome. [DVD] United Kingdom: T.V.S. Television Ltd

Sullivan,MA. (2006) Dome of Pantheon. [online image]. Available from: http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/romanpantheon/pantheon2.html [Accessed 24 February 2011]

Sullivan MA. (2006) Front portico of Pantheon. [online image]. Available from: http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/romanpantheon/pantheon.html [Accessed 24 February 2011]

The Colosseum. (AD 70-82)[online image] Place: Rome, Italy. Available from: http://www.bridgemaneducation.com [Accessed: 1 March 2011]