Pedersen Karen Pedersen Professor Martha Baumgarten Art History T/Th 10 am November 9, 2012 Augustus of Primaporta and the Stele of Naram Sin My comparison paper will focus on the following two pieces: The Augusutus of Primaporta, Roman art, early 1st century CE, and the Stele of Naram Sin, art of ancient near East, 2254 BCE. Each piece focuses on a great military hero and political leader. I will describe the Augustus first and then the Naram Sin. On September 23, 63 BC, in the city of Rome, Gaius Octavius was born. His father died when he was 4 and Octavius was raised primarily by his grandmother, Julia Caesaris, (sister of Julius Caesar). In 44 BC he was adopted by Julius Caesar and from thereafter was known as Gaius Julius Casear Octavianus. He will not be known as Caesar Augustus until after the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BC1. The first Emperor of the Roman Empire, many considered Augustus to be Rome’s greatest Emperor. The city of Rome was transformed under his rule and his policies initiated the Pax Romana (The Roman Peace). He reformed the system of taxation, developed roads and a courier system, established an army and created official police and fire fighting services. Above all, he was the supreme military commander, as is seen in the marble statue of Augustus that was discovered in 1863 in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta, near Rome. This is the place that Caesar’s wife, Livia, retired to. This famous sculpture is now housed at the Vatican Museum. The dating of this piece is widely contested (possibly a marble copy of a 1 Wikepedia, Augustus 1 Pedersen bronze original), but the original was dedicated to Augustus by the Senate in 20 BC2. The author of the statue is unknown. It is a great monument to his victories as commander in chief of the Roman army. Art underwent a lot of changes during his reign with the realism that dominated Roman art giving way to Greek influence which idealized the portraits of the emperors. This is an idealized image of Augustus, shown as he would have wanted to be seen, in his physical prime. The perfect proportions of the piece were modeled after the canon of the famous classical Greek sculptor, Polykleitos3, whose contrapposto stance shows Augustus’ weight being supported by the engaged right leg while his left leg is bent at the knee with the left foot poised on the ball of the foot. Used as a Roman propaganda statue you see Augustus in the orator pose symbolizing that his word as the ruling Emperor of Rome should be heeded. The figure of Cupid riding on the dolphin at his feet represents the mythological belief that his family was descendants’ from the Goddess Venus. His cuirass, or torso armor, is also covered with historical and mythological relief images. In the center is thought to be the Parthian King returning Crassus’s standard to an armored Roman. This was known as one of Augustus’s greatest victories. The two mourning women on the breastplate represent the subjection of the Celts and the people in the East who 2 3 Wikepedia, Augustus of Primaporta Art History, 4th edition Vol 1, Marilyn Stokstad 2 Pedersen were forced to pay tributes to Rome. Also included on the cuirass is Sol, the sun god and the earth goddess Ceres/Telus, along with Apollo, Diana, Aurora and Luna4. All these gods imply that Augustus is divinely inspired, desired and ordained and that his rule has brought prosperity and peace. There are also figures of a Sphinx on each shoulder signifying the defeat of Cleopatra. Augustus never wished to be portrayed as a god, but this statue has references to his “divine nature”. The fact that he is shown barefoot would imply that he is a hero and a god because previously being barefoot was only allowed on images of the gods. The function of this piece as a propaganda work is obvious. It shows that Augustus is a hero worthy of divine status and the best man to govern Rome. The first Mesopotamian king to have claimed divinity for himself was the great warrior and ruler, Naram Sin. He reigned over the Akkadians ca. 2254-2218 BCE, and was known as the “King of the Four Quarters”, and as the “God of Agade”5. He controlled a large portion of land along the Persian Gulf. The precise site of the city has not yet been found but one theory is that the ruins of Akkad lie beneath modern Baghdad. Naram Sin ruled for 56 years and had an impressive list of military actions against various places. His triumph over the Lullubi (modern day Iran) was the inspiration for The Victory stele of Naram Sin, artist unknown. The stele was found at Susa (modern day Iran) and is now in the Louvre Museum in France. It is six feet and seven inches tall and made from pink sandstone. A stele is 4 5 Wikepedia, Augustus of Primaporta Wikepedia, Naram-Sin of Akkad 3 Pedersen a stone or wooden slab erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of individuals it is carved in relief6. Engraved in hieratic scale, he is seen towering over his organized army on the left and those who have been conquered on the right are exposed as crushed underfoot, falling, fleeing, dying or begging for mercy. All are looking to him as the focal point of the composition. This symbolic image portrays Naram Sin with his shoulders frontal and head in profile, much like the distinctive Egyptian composite pose, marching up towards the suns which depict the realm of the heavenly.7 In ancient Mesopotamia male potency and vigor were directly related to power and dominance and Naram is portrayed as a muscular man of authority. Holding spear, bow & arrow and carrying an axe he wears a horned helmut, all of which associates him with deity. In comparison both pieces are dedicated to a great ruler and military hero. The subject matter of each piece is similar as each depicts a ruler who claims a close association with deity and is revered as such. The technique of relief sculpture on stone is a complete different process than sculpting a human figure out of marble, and the style of the marble idealized sculpture of Augustus with Greek classical ideals is in sharp contrast to the pink sandstone Stele of Naram Sin seen in composite pose. Obviously the texture of the marble is smooth when compared to the rough sandstone stele. There are many differences due to historical context and culture. One is the type of clothing worn with Augustus in armor and Naram Sin in a type of loin cloth and a helmut with horns. The stele lacks horses and chariots used during battle as seen on the breastplate of Augustus with the relief sculptures on his torso armor being realistic as opposed to the stylized warriors of the stele. The proportions, anatomy, and muscle definition found on Augustus is much more realistic than the frontal pose of Naram. Augustus is shown barefoot 6 7 Wikipedia, Stele Smart History, Khan Academy 4 Pedersen while Naram has a type of sandal and you can see that he is heavily bearded compared to the smooth, youth-like face of Augustus. Both pieces are fascinating in their own right and each tells us a story of two different cultures. 5