Head of a Roman Patrician
Head of a Roman Patrician from Otricoli, c. 75-50 BCE, marble (Palazzo Torlonia, Rome)
Seemingly wrinkled and toothless, with sagging jowls, the face of a Roman aristocrat stares at us across the
ages. In the aesthetic parlance of the Late Roman Republic, the physical traits of this portrait image are meant
to convey seriousness of mind (gravitas) and the virtue (virtus) of a public career by demonstrating the way in
which the subject literally wears the marks of his endeavors. While this representational strategy might seem
unusual in the post-modern world, in the waning days of the Roman Republic it was an effective means of
competing in an ever more complex socio-political arena.
The Portrait
This portrait head, now housed in the Palazzo Torlonia in Rome, Italy, comes from Otricoli (ancient Ocriculum)
and dates to the middle of the first century B.C.E. The name of the individual depicted is now unknown, but the
portrait is a powerful representation of a male aristocrat with a hooked nose and strong cheekbones. The figure
is frontal without any hint of dynamism or emotion—this sets the portrait apart from some of its near
contemporaries. The portrait head is characterized by deep wrinkles, a furrowed brow, and generally an
appearance of sagging, sunken skin—all indicative of the veristic style of Roman portraiture.
Verism
Verism can be defined as a sort of hyperrealism in sculpture where the naturally occurring features of the
subject are exaggerated, often to the point of absurdity. In the case of Roman Republican portraiture, middle
age males adopt veristic tendencies in their portraiture to such an extent that they appear to be extremely aged
and care worn. This stylistic tendency is influenced both by the tradition of ancestral imagines as well as a
deep-seated respect for family, tradition, and ancestry. The imagines were essentially death masks of notable
ancestors that were kept and displayed by the family. In the case of aristocratic families these wax masks were
used at subsequent funerals so that an actor might portray the deceased ancestors in a sort of familial parade
(Polybius History 6.53.54). The ancestor cult, in turn, influenced a deep connection to family. For Late
Republican politicians without any famous ancestors (a group famously known as ‘new men’ or ‘homines novi’)
the need was even more acute—and verism rode to the rescue. The adoption of such an austere and wizened
visage was a tactic to lend familial gravitas to families who had none—and thus (hopefully) increase the
chances of the aristocrat’s success in both politics and business. This jockeying for position very much
characterized the scene at Rome in the waning days of the Roman Republic and the Otricoli head is a
reminder that one’s public image played a major role in what was a turbulent time in Roman history.
Essay by Dr. Jeffrey A. Becker