Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus (Caligula) after 1674

Bartholomeus Eggers created this marble bust of Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, better known as Caligula, in the 17th century. The cool, grey marble lends a formidable yet distant presence to the figure. Note how Eggers skillfully used the stone's texture to articulate the intricacies of Caligula's armor, contrasting sharply with the smoother surfaces of his face and neck. The composition is rigidly symmetrical, lending a sense of classical order, yet the lifelike rendering introduces a tension that unsettles any straightforward reading of power. Eggers uses the traditional form of the bust to evoke classical authority, but simultaneously destabilizes it, prompting questions about how power is represented and perceived. The semiotic interplay between the medium, form, and subject invites continuous interpretation.