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See the original at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
Marble portrait head of the Emperor Constantine I
by Ancient Roman (Unknown), 325
Details
- Year
- 325
- Medium
- Marble
- Size
- Height: 37 1/2 in. (95.3 cm) Width: 23 in. (58.4 cm) Depth: 26 1/2 in. (67.3 cm) Weight: 1100lb. (499 kg)
Ancient Roman This colossal marble head represents Constantine the Great (ca. 272-337 CE), the first Christian emperor of Rome. It weighs 1,100 pounds and likely belonged to an over-life-sized statue, not just a bust. At nearly 3 feet tall, it's one of the most physically imposing portraits in the Met's collection.
Constantine's long face, neat hairstyle, and clean-shaven look deliberately evoked Emperor Trajan, who later Romans considered the ideal ruler. This was a strategic choice. It set him apart from the Tetrarchs, his immediate predecessors, and signaled a return to classical imperial values while he was simultaneously transforming the empire's religious identity.
The head came from the Giustiniani Collection in Rome, documented there since before 1631. It entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the 1923 bequest of Mary Clark Thompson. It's in Gallery 169.
