Detail of the breastplate. The Augustus of Prima Porta is a full-length portrait statue of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
The intricate imagery on the lorica musculata (typical of legates) refers to the Parthian Empire’s restitution of Roman eagle insignia, which had previously been captured from Marcus Licinius Crassus, to Augustus in 20 BC, one of his most significant diplomatic accomplishments. Original →
Augustus is shown in his role of imperator, the commander of the army, as thoracatus —or commander-in-chief of the Roman army (literally, thorax-wearer)—meaning the statue should form part of a commemorative monument to his latest victories; he is in military clothing, carrying what may have been a spear or a consular baton, and raising his right hand in a rhetorical adlocutio pose, addressing the troops. Style →
It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally painted, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that historians have had to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence. Polychromy →
The Augustus of Prima Porta is a full-length portrait statue of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
The intricate imagery on the lorica musculata (typical of legates) refers to the Parthian Empire’s restitution of Roman eagle insignia, which had previously been captured from Marcus Licinius Crassus, to Augustus in 20 BC, one of his most significant diplomatic accomplishments. Original →
Augustus is shown in his role of imperator, the commander of the army, as thoracatus —or commander-in-chief of the Roman army (literally, thorax-wearer)—meaning the statue should form part of a commemorative monument to his latest victories; he is in military clothing, carrying what may have been a spear or a consular baton, and raising his right hand in a rhetorical adlocutio pose, addressing the troops. Style →
It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally painted, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that historians have had to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence. Polychromy →
Brogi, Giacomo (1822-1881) - n. 4123 - Roma - Vaticano - Cesare Augusto - Statua in marmo
Version of the statue in 1870 with a staff in his left hand. The Augustus of Prima Porta is a full-length portrait statue of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
The intricate imagery on the lorica musculata (typical of legates) refers to the Parthian Empire’s restitution of Roman eagle insignia, which had previously been captured from Marcus Licinius Crassus, to Augustus in 20 BC, one of his most significant diplomatic accomplishments. Original →
Augustus is shown in his role of imperator, the commander of the army, as thoracatus —or commander-in-chief of the Roman army (literally, thorax-wearer)—meaning the statue should form part of a commemorative monument to his latest victories; he is in military clothing, carrying what may have been a spear or a consular baton, and raising his right hand in a rhetorical adlocutio pose, addressing the troops. Style →
It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally painted, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that historians have had to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence. Polychromy →
Oxford. Ashmolean Museum. Gods in Colour. Augustus of Prima Porta 1
Unpainted and painted replica of the statue (part of the Gods in Colour exhibition). The Augustus of Prima Porta is a full-length portrait statue of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
The intricate imagery on the lorica musculata (typical of legates) refers to the Parthian Empire’s restitution of Roman eagle insignia, which had previously been captured from Marcus Licinius Crassus, to Augustus in 20 BC, one of his most significant diplomatic accomplishments. Original →
Augustus is shown in his role of imperator, the commander of the army, as thoracatus —or commander-in-chief of the Roman army (literally, thorax-wearer)—meaning the statue should form part of a commemorative monument to his latest victories; he is in military clothing, carrying what may have been a spear or a consular baton, and raising his right hand in a rhetorical adlocutio pose, addressing the troops. Style →
It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally painted, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that historians have had to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence. Polychromy →
Lithograph depicting the discovery of the statue, published in 1865
Lithograph depicting the discovery of the statue, published in 1865. The Augustus of Prima Porta is a full-length portrait statue of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
The intricate imagery on the lorica musculata (typical of legates) refers to the Parthian Empire’s restitution of Roman eagle insignia, which had previously been captured from Marcus Licinius Crassus, to Augustus in 20 BC, one of his most significant diplomatic accomplishments. Original →
Augustus is shown in his role of imperator, the commander of the army, as thoracatus —or commander-in-chief of the Roman army (literally, thorax-wearer)—meaning the statue should form part of a commemorative monument to his latest victories; he is in military clothing, carrying what may have been a spear or a consular baton, and raising his right hand in a rhetorical adlocutio pose, addressing the troops. Style →
It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally painted, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that historians have had to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence. Polychromy →
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