Detail View: The AMICA Library: Portrait Head of the Emperor Hadrian
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AMICA ID:
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AIC_.1979.350
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AMICA Library Year:
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1998
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Object Type:
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Sculpture
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Creator Nationality:
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European; Southern European; Roman
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Creator Dates/Places:
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Italy, Europe
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Roman
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Title:
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Portrait Head of the Emperor Hadrian
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Title Type:
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preferred
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View:
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3/4 view
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Creation Date:
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Imperial Period, Hadrianic Period, A.D. 117-138
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Creation Start Date:
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117
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Creation End Date:
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138
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Materials and Techniques:
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Marble
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Subject Description:
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The life-sized portrait head, a fragment from a larger sculpture, shows the Spanish-born emperor who ruled the vast Roman empire from A.D. 117-138. He was a poet, a noted collector of art, and the builder of the Pantheon in Rome and a great palace at Tivoli which he filled with copies of Greek masterpieces. Hadrian is recognizable in sculpted and coin portraits by his luxuriant hair and his beard, a feature that he initiated. The drilling of eyes is also an innovation begun in the Hadrianic period.
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Creation Place:
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Early Western World,Roman Republic and Empire
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Dimensions:
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H.: 36 cm (14-1/4 in.); W.: 27.5 cm (10-13/16 in.)
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Art Institute of Chicago
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Owner Location:
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Chicago, Illinois, USA
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ID Number:
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1979.350
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Credit Line:
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The Art Institute of Chicago, Katherine K. Adler Endowment
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Rights:
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Context:
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Hadrian inherited an empire which had reached its greatest extent under his predecessor Trajan. Instead to enlarging its boundaries, Hadrian devoted his reign to strengthening its borders and unifying its people under one law. He spent most of his reign visiting his realm where his portrait statues in temples dedicated to the imperial cult and on public buildings acted as unifying images in a diverse empire. The empire's prosperous and peaceful period began with Hadrian.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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AIC_.E26414.TIF
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