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Augustus of Prima Porta

Augustus of Prima Porta

$141.75

Step into a world where classic art meets cutting-edge technology. Welcome to our collection of meticulously crafted 3D printed replicas of famous artists' masterpieces. We present accurately 3d printed Augustus of Prima One of Augustus Caesar’s most famous portraits is the so-called Augustus of Primaporta of 20 B.C.E. (the sculpture gets its name from the town in Italy where it was found in 1863). At first glance this statue might appear to simply resemble a portrait of Augustus as an orator and general, but this sculpture also communicates a good deal about the emperor’s power and ideology. In fact, in this portrait Augustus shows himself as a great military victor and a staunch supporter of Roman religion. The statue also foretells the 200 year period of peace that Augustus initiated, called the Pax Romana. In this marble freestanding sculpture, Augustus stands in a contrapposto pose (a relaxed pose where one leg bears weight). The emperor wears military regalia and his right arm is outstretched, demonstrating that the emperor is addressing his troops. We immediately sense the emperor’s power as the leader of the army and a military conqueror. Delving further into the composition of the Primaporta statue, a distinct resemblance to Polykleitos’ Doryphoros, a Classical Greek sculpture of the fifth century B.C.E., is apparent. Both have a similar contrapposto stance and both are idealized. That is to say that both Augustus and the Spear-Bearer are portrayed as youthful and flawless individuals: they are perfect. The Romans often modeled their art on Greek predecessors. This is significant because Augustus is essentially depicting himself with the perfect body of a Greek athlete: he is youthful and virile, despite the fact that he was middle-aged at the time of the sculpture’s commissioning. Furthermore, by modeling the Primaporta statue on such an iconic Greek sculpture created during the height of Athens’ influence and power, Augustus connects himself to the Golden Age of that previous civilization. The dolphin became a symbol of Augustus’ great naval victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, a conquest that made Augustus the sole ruler of the Empire. The cupid astride the dolphin sends another message too: that Augustus is descended from the gods. Cupid is the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Julius Caesar, the adoptive father of Augustus, claimed to be descended from Venus and therefore Augustus also shared this connection to the gods. This statue has been dated to the beginning of the 1st century A.D. It was found in the ruins of the Villa of Livia, Augustus's wife, at Prima Porta on the via Flaminia. It is a statue of the emperor himself, wearing a highly decorated cuirass and with his cloak (paludamentum) wrapped around his hips, in the act of addressing his troops (adlocutio). The reliefs on the cuirass show a Parthian king in the act of returning to a Roman officer the standards lost by Crassus in 53 B.C. during the Battle of Carrhae; at the sides are figures from the two provinces of the empire. The whole scene is inserted into a cosmic landscape: at the top one can see the personification of the Heavens in the centre, with the chariots of Apollo and Aurora alongside. At the bottom one can recognise Diana riding on the back of a hind and, in the centre, the goddess Earth. The statue seems to have been inspired by the figure of the Doryphoros (spear-bearer) by the Greek sculptor, Polykleitos, of which there is a good copy in the New Wing in the Vatican Musium

  • Material used & Finish : White Resin
  • Dimensions
    • Product Dimensions ( in cm ) : 150 x 71 x 85
    • Shipping Dimensions : 200 x 75 x 90
  • Shipping
    • International Shipping : Yes
    • International Shipping Days: Within Business Days
    • Domestic Shipping Days: Within 7-10 Business Days


  • Category : Home Decor and Furnishings
  • Curated by : Ajith Gopinathan
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