Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius

Coordinates: 41°53′34″N 12°28′56″E / 41.89274164°N 12.48224146°E / 41.89274164; 12.48224146
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Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
The original
Map
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MediumBronze, originally gilded
LocationCapitoline Museums
Coordinates41°53′34″N 12°28′56″E / 41.89274164°N 12.48224146°E / 41.89274164; 12.48224146

The Equestrian Statue of

ancient Roman equestrian statue on the Capitoline Hill, Rome, Italy. It is made of bronze and stands 4.24 m (13.9 ft) tall. Although the emperor is mounted, the sculpture otherwise exhibits many similarities to the standing statues of Augustus. The original is on display in the Capitoline Museums, while the sculpture now standing in the open air at the Piazza del Campidoglio
is a replica made in 1981 when the original was taken down for restoration.

Description

The statue projects an impression of power and god-like grandeur: the emperor is over life-size and extends his hand in a gesture of adlocutio used by emperors when addressing their troops. Some historians assert that a conquered enemy was originally part of the sculpture (based on medieval accounts, including in the Mirabilia Urbis Romae, which suggest that a small figure of a bound barbarian chieftain once cowered underneath the horse's front right leg).[1] Such an image was meant to portray the emperor as victorious and all-conquering. However, shown without weapons or armour, Marcus Aurelius seems to be a bringer of peace rather than a military hero, for this is how he saw himself and his reign.

The emperor is shown riding without the use of

Sarmatian in origin, suggesting that the horse is a Sarmatian horse and that the statue was created to honour the victory over the Sarmatians by Marcus Aurelius, after which he adopted "Sarmaticus" to his name.[2]

History

The inscription on the plinth of the statue, commissioned by Pope Paul III

The statue was erected around 175 AD. Its original location is debated: the Roman Forum and Piazza Colonna (where the Column of Marcus Aurelius stands) have been proposed.[1] However, it was noted that the site where it had originally stood had been converted into a vineyard during the early Middle Ages.[3]

Although there were many

Campidoglio to the popular mis-identification of Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor, with Constantine the Great, the Christian emperor; indeed, more than 20 other bronze equestrian statues of various emperors and generals had been melted down since the end of the Imperial Roman era.[4][5] It has been speculated that its misidentification stems from the prior existence of an equestrian statue of Constantine which had stood beside the Arch of Septimius Severus, and which had been most likely taken on the orders of the emperor Constans II during his visit to Rome in 663. With its removal, the people eventually mistakenly identified Marcus Aurelius's statue for Constantine's.[6]

In the Middle Ages this was one of the few Roman statues to remain on public view. In the 8th century it stood in the Campus Lateranensis, to the east of the

Musei Capitolini; that in the square is a modern replica
.

Palazzo dei Conservatori

On the night of 29 November 1849, at the inception of the revolutionary

Roman Republic, a mass procession set up the red–white–green tricolore (now the flag of Italy, then a new and highly "subversive" flag) in the hands of the mounted Marcus Aurelius.[8]

In 1979, a bomb attack in the nearby

Palazzo Senatorio
damaged the marble base of the statue.

Cultural significance

Aureus of Marcus Aurelius (AD December 173 - June 174) and Italian €0.50 coin (2002)

The statue appears on the reverse of an aureus of Marcus Aurelius struck in 174 AD. It is depicted on the reverse of the modern Italian €0.50 coin, designed by Roberto Mauri [it].

The statue was formerly clad in gold. An old local myth says that it will turn gold again on the Day of Judgment.[9][10]

Replicas

Replica of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius on the Capitoline Hill

In 1981 work began on producing a replica of the statue for outdoor display. Digital image files were used for reference while a laser beam ensured accurate measurements. Conservators used this copy to cast a faithful bronze replica of the statue, now in the

Campidoglio.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c Stewart, Peter, "The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius" in A Companion to Marcus Aurelius, edited by Martin van Ackeren, Wiley-Blackwell, 2012, pp. 264–77.
  2. S2CID 192180871
    .
  3. ^ a b Gregorovius, Ferdinand, History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages, Vol. 2, (1894) p. 161
  4. ^ Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius in the Capitoline Museum, Rome
  5. ^ Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius Capitoline Museum
  6. ^ Gregorovius, p. 161
  7. ^
    S2CID 192301344
    .
  8. ^ Leona Rostenberg, "Margaret Fuller's Roman Diary" The Journal of Modern History 12.2 (June 1940:209–220) p. 212
  9. ^ This folk legend is recorded in p. 40 of the National Geographic Traveler's Rome (2006)
  10. ^ Palazzo Braschi (1963). Giuseppe Gioachino Belli e la Roma del suo tempo: mostra del centenario della morte del poeta (1863–1963). Palazzo Braschi, dicembre 1963 – febbraio 1964. De Luca.
  11. .

External links