Roman ArtFrom the Etruscans to the Greeks

Rome was first influenced by Etruscans. As Rome expanded, it began to be more

influenced by Greek art. Many statues in museums will say “Roman

copy of a Greek statue”.◦ This means that the statue was made by the

Romans but was made to look like a famous Greek statue.

Where did it start?

Wealthy Romans were proud of their genealogy.

Funerary busts of their ancestors would be displayed in the house.

Some Romans even traced their lineage back to the gods.

Ancestral Busts

70 BCE

Aulus Metellus

Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print.

The only bronze statue from the Republic. This statue is of an Etruscan man. He raises his arm as if speaking to a crowd. He wears the toga of a Roman citizen. He also wears the high boots of a

magistrate.

Aulus Metellus

Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print.

~50 BCE. Shows a Roman citizen with busts of his

father and grandfather. These busts are funerary busts. Done during the Republic.

Man with Ancestor Busts

This is a style of sculpture where the artist depicts the person with an extreme amount of accuracy.

These are usually busts of old men. This style of art tired to show that the man

was dutiful to the gods, his family and the state.

Republican Verism

Head of an old man

Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print.

Bust of Julius Caesar

Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print.

44 BCE. Found in Egypt Made out of green basalt. Shows Caesar in true form except for his

hair line. ◦ He was almost bald by this time.

This is still an example of Republican verism but not as exaggerated as the previous bust.

Bust of Julius Caesar

Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print.

Works Cited