Buste van Antoninus Pius uit de collectie Farnese before 1879

Editor: This photograph, taken before 1879 by Giorgio Sommer, captures a marble bust of Antoninus Pius, currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. It’s a stark and quite formal portrait. What symbols or meanings do you see conveyed in the piece? Curator: It’s a compelling image, isn't it? Notice the gaze: averted, but still commanding. Antoninus Pius, known for his benevolent rule, is presented not just as an emperor but as an ideal. Think about the beard – a deliberate visual echo of Hadrian, signaling continuity, wisdom, and a golden age revived. What does it suggest to you that the artist chose this particular way of visually associating him with the earlier emperor? Editor: That’s interesting! I hadn’t considered it in terms of Hadrian. It seems almost like strategic branding, visually linking Antoninus Pius to a revered predecessor. Curator: Precisely! The toga, the wreath, these aren’t simply clothes or adornments; they’re visual cues loaded with centuries of Roman cultural memory. They speak of power, civic duty, and a connection to the very foundations of Rome itself. The image, in its time, might also symbolize the glory of empires, inspiring different emotions during rising imperialism, as the European empires expanded around the world. Editor: It makes me think about how powerful images can be, not just as portraits, but as carriers of ideas and values, especially within empires. Curator: Indeed. Sommer’s photograph preserves a layered narrative: of Antoninus Pius, of Rome, and of how empires can be perceived by later generations. Editor: I appreciate your insights. It gives a lot more context to my understanding of this portrait of Antoninus Pius.