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Augustus of Prima Porta
by Ancient Roman (Unknown), -20
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- -20
- Medium
- Marble
- Size
- 208 cm (6 ft 10 in) tall
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Ancient Roman The Augustus of Prima Porta depicts Rome's first emperor in military dress, his arm raised in a gesture of command. Carved around 20 BCE, the marble statue shows Augustus as a youthful, idealized leader rather than the aging man he actually was. The breastplate displays symbolic imagery including the return of Roman standards from the Parthians.
Archaeologists discovered the statue in 1863 at Livia's villa in Prima Porta, just north of Rome. The original paint has faded, but traces reveal the statue was once vividly colored. A small Cupid riding a dolphin at Augustus's feet references his claimed descent from Venus through Aeneas. The pose deliberately echoes Polykleitos's Doryphoros, connecting Augustus to Greek artistic ideals.
The statue now stands in the Vatican Museums, the definitive image of Roman imperial portraiture.
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About Augustus of Prima Porta
The statue is at the Vatican Museums in the Braccio Nuovo gallery. It was excavated from Livia's villa in 1863.
The armor depicts the return of Roman military standards from Parthia in 20 BCE. This diplomatic triumph was Augustus's greatest foreign policy success.
The Cupid claims Augustus's divine ancestry through Venus. The Julian family traced their lineage to the goddess through her son Aeneas, founder of Rome.
No. Traces of original paint show the statue was once vividly colored. Modern reconstructions reveal bright reds, blues, and flesh tones on the marble surface.
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