(i) Identify this art work. (ii) Which part of this art work is not original? [ACH] (i) Patrician carrying busts. (ii) The head of the patrician / main figure (evidence: the join about the neck).
i) When was it made? ii) What proof is there to support this date? [ACH] i) End of the first century BC (late republican – Augustus was overturning it in favour of imperial rule). ii) The two busts are in the style of the late Republic. Dad in his left hand hair brushed forward on the typical of 30BC, Grandad (in right hand) is typical of about 50BC.
Why has the sculptor included a palm trunk in this art work? [ACH] To support the main figure’s extended right hand.
What is the height of this art work? [ACH] Nearly life size / 1.65 m (5’5”)
(i)What is the main figure wearing? (ii)What is the significance of this? [MER] i) A toga ii) It signifies he is a Roman citizen.
i)Identify the objects the main figure is carrying in each hand. What is the connection of these objects to the main figure? (ii)Explain in detail the social significance of these objects. You must make TWO points. [MER] i) (In his left hand) is the bust / head of his grandfather AND (in his right hand) is the bust of his father. ii) They indicate that the main figure is of patrician status, as only patricians had the right to have portrait busts of ancestors. They show family prestige over generations (as more recent patrician families would not have as many).
i)Identify the style used to depict the faces in this art work. ii)Describe in detail FOUR examples of this style. iii)Discuss in detail why this style was prevalent during this period of Roman history. [MER] i)Veristic style - from Latin Varus = true – like English words verify and verity. this style originates in Greece world (Hellenistic art which developed after Alexander) not Italy. ii) Examples include: the bust in the patrician’s right hand has the hair brushed forward to cover a balding head wrinkles and creases on the forehead of the main figure the extra large ears of the main figure the bags under the eyes of the left bust. iii) Why prevalent in this period: The late republic was a time of civil and political crises; in the desire for political stability Rome looked to the past and the wisdom of the mos maiorum (ancestral values) to provide stability. This style of art reasserts the value of aged and experienced leaders by showing them in a realistic way: these are men who have stood the test of time. (other points are possible) Should include the ideas of crisis, a look to the past for security or the value of age or experience.
Discuss the ways in which TWO of the following aspects feature in the portrayal of TWO Roman emperors: facial feature(s) drapery pose imperial image. [EXC] Eg facial features: Commodus has a beard and moustache rendered riotously curly by the use of deep drilling, which creates light and shadow in the hair and beard. It is possible that they were covered with gold dust. In contrast, Philip the Arabian has a raised cap of chiselled hair, and a shallow beard and moustache more grooved than chiselled. This is reminiscent of the veristic style. (other points possible)