severan art Flashcards
Background on Sectilius Severus
becomes emperor in 193 AD - only african emperor (born in Leptis Magna in north africa)
claimed to be the illegitimate son of Marcus Aurelius and thus claims antonine heritage - links himself to them aesthetically
Came to power after a period of unrest caused by the power vacuum of the end of a dynasty (like post nero’s death) - uncertainty surrounding succession
Portrait head of Septimius Severus at Palazzo Massimo
196/7 AD, Rome
falls into the ‘adoption type’ -> greater emphasis on his beard than earlier accession portraits, hair becomes more flamboyant, in line with the tropes of antonine portraiture
Portrait head of Septimius Severus, Nicosia
AD 193, Nicosia
earliest portrait type so called ‘accession type’ -> has the curly hair from antonine period, still the prevailing ‘period face’ or ‘zeitgzeigt’ as those competing to be emperor wanted to be as close to the antonines as possible
COMPARANDA: coinage of the times of unrest - striking similarity and lack of individualising features in the portrait - all beards and curly hair
Portrait of Septimius Severus at Stuttgart
196-211 AD, Stuttgart
example of the ‘serapis type’ so named because of the likeness to roman statues of egyptian god sarapis - but this similarity doesn’t seem deliberate, its a retrospective name applied by scholars
introduction of the forked beard, deep divot in the centre and slightly longer - 3 locks of hair on the forehead
Portrait of Julia Domna, Louvre
200 AD
similar to antonine women but with the wig element of hair even more exaggerated -> even including strands of her real hair escaping from beneath the wig onto her cheek
wig as a luxury item and status symbol - wig has a corrugated, ridged effect and would have been made from real human hair
how wigs can help date statues of women in the severan period
in 220 AD the hair/wig is pushed behind the ears and the ears are fully exposed
Colossal Julia Domna, Wilton House
193-211 AD, well preserved and even restored in the 1800s but ended up in a river -> iron pins from restoration work swelled and destroyed the features of the face
very nice example of the wig hair phenomena
Imperial Family portrait of Severan Dynasty
Fayyum, 199 AD, portrait on tondu wood, survives because of dry conditions - same style as burial portraits from Fayyum
stylistically unusual imperial portrait - mother and father depicted in golden laurels with precious stones, and two sons all depicted together
men and boys wearing tunic and cloaks, recognisable facial hair and wigs, strays in some details ie: number of locks of hair
FACE OF GETA (son) MISSING - rubbed off, portrait also discovered in a sewer but that may be an accident. Caracalla had Geta killed so he could be sole emperor in the year of their joins accession (Damnatio memoriae)
INTERPRETATION: emphasising family cohesion and imperial succession
Arch of the Argentarii, Rome
Forum Boarium, AD 203/4
dedicated by local trades people who raised money to honour the emperor together - public monument at private expense
covered in friezes, panel of septimius severus sacrificing with Julia Domna preset, conspicuous gap to her side - recarved to remove Geta
Arch of Septimius Severus at Leptis Magna (small details)
north africa, 282/3 AD (Severus’ home town!)
quadrafrons (4 faced arch), blanketed in carvings, fruits and crops in filigree to demonstrate abundance, mythological scenes and images of imperial family (inscription missing)
vine scroll with cupid figures -> quite early imperial imagery, decorative
trophee (wooden post with captured arms of an enemy pinned to the top, shows women in phrygian cap to show they are not roman but rather conquered people)
Spandrils (corners) have barbarian prisoners
Winged Victory figures - demonstrate stylistic changes -> figure is graceful still but more static, cloth is deeply incised but more a pattern of fabric rather than naturalistic, legs pressed together awkwardly, focus shifting to what is represented/symbolised by art rather than attempting naturalism. use of the drill also changed the style
Arch of Septimius Severus at Leptis Magna (significant friezes)
282/3 AD
sculpted panels depict imperial family surrounded by gods and making sacrifices, gods giving divine sanction to imperial family for acts of piety
Triumphal Procession: COMPARANDA: Arch of Titus in Rome (80s AD)
emperor with sons in chariot, similar components, horses, figures and arrangement to Titus
Severan is much flatter, with shallower relief, diminishing naturalism in public monuments, the perspective is messed with to fit elements into the scene
drill carving - deeper and thicker incisions can make drapery rigid - not just a provincial change - in rome in imperial monuments more
Arch of Septimius Severus in Forum Romanum
AD 203
dedicated by senate and people of rome (inscription intact) for his ‘triumphs’ over parthians on the eastern frontier of empire. didn’t really expand, successfully consolidated river euphrates front, annexed settlement beyond - pushed them back a little
style: like columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius rather than other arches. story in spiral on columns, here it zigzags
figures have greater distortion even than trajan’s column - necessary for column because of the shape and space, here figures stumpier and stranger proportions, over sides heads etc
deep relief - accomplished with drill so smaller figures are almost free standing particularly in the battle reliefs
Portrait of Caracalla, Vatican
211 AD
new paradigm of representation of emperor in portraiture
curly hair still, but close cropped, short facial hair, frowning expression, creases around his nose and mouth, furrowed brow (expression over interpreted because why would he represent himself as cruel on purpose?)
positive interpretation (more likely): image of a soldier-emperor, man of action who actively campaigns with his troops - serious about job / thoughtful
though he is succeeded by young men who tend more idealising - they maintain the soldier emperor aesthetic
Portrait of Maximinus Thrax
235-8 AD
similar hair, furrowed face, like many after him he is chosen my his army and then permitted by the senate -> makes sense because of increased presence and activity around the Euphrates so lots of Balkans
Trajan Decius in Capitoline Museum
has the caracallan furrows in brow and similar cropped hair, also has the concerned/preoccupied facial expression to show he’s deeply engaged in his role as emperor
