Roman, A.D. 37–41
Marble, 13 x 8 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (33 x 21 x 23.5 cm)
Funded by Peggy and Richard Danziger, LL.B. 1963; George Hopper Fitch, B.A. 1932; Allen Grover B.A. 1922; Leonard C. Hanna, Jr., B.A. 1913, Fund; H. John Heinz, III Charitable Trust; and the H. J. Heinz Family Fund
1987.70.1
Caligula, who ruled as Roman emperor between A.D. 37 and 41, ranks among history's most infamous characters, accused of a host of mad and cruel acts. Despite the questionable veracity of some of the more egregious claims against him, Caligula's unpopularity led not only to his assassination but also to an unofficial damnatio memoriae—a "condemnation of his memory"—which included the removal of his portraits from public view. His portrait image, however, gives not even a hint of the emperor's alleged brutality and mental imbalance. On the contrary, Caligula's portraits are highly conservative, very much in line with those of his predecessor, Tiberius, and of Augustus before him, in the neat arrangement of comma-shaped locks over the forehead.
 |
 |
 |