Bronze colossus of Constantine

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Three fragments of the bronze colossus of Constantine in 2013

The

colossal statue of a Roman emperor was probably made in the 4th century but only fragments survive. It is usually interpreted as depicting Constantine the Great
.

The museum also holds fragments from an

.

Description

Left hand of the statue and index finger

The bronze statue was probably made before the year 326. When complete, it may have reached 10 to 12 m (33 to 39 ft) in height. Three large fragments of the statue survive, some with traces of gilding: a large head, 177 cm (70 in) high, or 125 cm (49 in) without the neck (recorded in the museum's inventory as MC1072); a left hand, which measures 150 cm (59 in) (inv. MC1070); and a spiked orb measuring 150 cm (59 in) (inv. MC1065). All three fragments are damaged: the crown of the head is missing, as are parts of some fingers of the hand. Early sources indicate the head was crowned, with the left hand holding a globe (both surviving but now separated) and the right hand holding a sword (both missing). Much of the statue is missing: many bronze panels may have been melted down in late antiquity or the Middle Ages.

The missing end of the index finger, about 38 cm (15 in) long, was rediscovered in 2018 in the collection of the

Louvre Museum in Paris (inv. Br 78). It had been acquired with the collection of Giampietro Campana
in 1862, but was long mistaken for a toe. It was reunited with the hand in 2021 in an initial five year renewable loan. The end of the middle finger remains missing.

Head of the marble Colossus of Constantine

Based on its similarity to the emperor's depictions on coins and resemblance to the marble

Flavian amphitheatre, perhaps later remodelled to represent Commodus
, and later remodelled again to represent Constantine.

Location

The statue may have been originally erected at the

equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius
, which was then also thought to depict Constantine.

Along with other antiquities, including the

Piranesi
shows the orb mounted on this column.

The orb and the other fragments are now held in the Capitoline Museum, and displayed in the Exhedra of Marcus Aurelius, a glass pavilion constructed in the 1990s to house the original gilt-bronze

equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius after it was restored (with its place in the Piazza del Campidoglio taken by a replica), along with a gilt-bronze statue of Hercules found in the Forum Boarium
.

  • Three surviving parts of the colossus, in 2006: head, left hand, and spiked orb
    Three surviving parts of the colossus, in 2006: head, left hand, and spiked orb
  • Head, 2013
    Head, 2013
  • Hand, 2016
    Hand, 2016
  • Orb, 2016
    Orb, 2016
  • Map by Paulino da Venezia c.1320 showing the head and hand (right of centre) near the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius at the Lateran
    Map by
    equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius at the Lateran
  • 18th century engraving by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, showing the orb on a column
    18th century engraving by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, showing the orb on a column

Other statues of Constantine in Rome

Contemporary (4th century) smaller marble statues of Emperor Constantine can be seen at the entrance to the

San Giovanni Laterano
.

References