Where Is Bronze statue of the emperor Trebonianus Gallus?

Q: Why is this statue so rare?

It's one of very few nearly complete monumental Roman bronzes from the 3rd century to survive. Ancient bronzes were routinely melted down for reuse, especially during times of economic stress. At 241 cm (nearly 8 feet) tall, surviving at this scale is extremely unusual.

Q: Who is depicted?

Probably Emperor Trebonianus Gallus (ruled 251-253 CE), identified by comparison with his coin portraits. He's shown in 'heroic nudity,' a Greek convention adopted by Roman emperors. He was murdered by his own troops after just two years on the throne.

Q: Where can I see it?

It's in Gallery 169 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Met acquired it in 1905 through the Rogers Fund. It was reportedly found near San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome.

Ancient Roman This nearly complete monumental Roman bronze stands 241 cm (almost 8 feet) tall and is one of the very few large-scale bronze statues from the 3rd century CE to survive. Most ancient bronzes were melted down for reuse, making this an extraordinarily rare survival. It shows the figure in heroic nudity, a convention borrowed from Classical Greek art.

There's a deliberate contrast between the idealized muscular body and the brutish, realistic portrait head. This tension between ideal and real is characteristic of 3rd-century Roman art. The identification as Emperor Trebonianus Gallus (who ruled from 251-253 CE) is based on coin portraits, though some scholars have debated the attribution.

The statue was reportedly found near the church of San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome. It's on view in Gallery 169 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1905.

It's one of very few nearly complete monumental Roman bronzes from the 3rd century to survive. Ancient bronzes were routinely melted down for reuse, especially during times of economic stress. At 241 cm (nearly 8 feet) tall, surviving at this scale is extremely unusual.

Probably Emperor Trebonianus Gallus (ruled 251-253 CE), identified by comparison with his coin portraits. He's shown in 'heroic nudity,' a Greek convention adopted by Roman emperors. He was murdered by his own troops after just two years on the throne.

It's in Gallery 169 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Met acquired it in 1905 through the Rogers Fund. It was reportedly found near San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome.

Bronze statue of the emperor Trebonianus Gallus

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About Bronze statue of the emperor Trebonianus Gallus

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