Works of Art
19th century
1
Works of Art du 19th century
Bust of Emperor Vitellius, Rome circa 1820
DIMENSIONS : l. 27.95 .inH. 33.46 .in
MATERIAUX : Carrare marbre, yellow of Sienna marble, antique African marble
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?Important bust of the Emperor Vitellius in white Carrara marble for the head, yellow and rose marble from Sienna for the chlamys and African marble for the epaulets.
The eighth emperor of Rome is depicted according to the iconography of a Roman bust discovered on the Quirinal Mount in Rome in 1505 during excavations conducted under the direction of the Venetian cardinal Domenico Grimani (1461- 1523). The work was then bequeathed by the cardinal to the Republic of Venice and then exhibited at the Palazzo Ducale before moving to the Archaeological Museum of Venice, where it is now preserved.
As soon as it was discovered, the identity of Vitellius was attributed to this bust because of writings that describe him as a colossus of remarkable fatness. His gluttony was legendary, Suetonius described it in his book "Lives of the Twelve Caesars". The author also wrote that the emperor's two vices were gluttony and cruelty.
If his first vice is well represented on our bust by the double chin and the fat cheeks, cruelty is not to be outdone, with the black and oblique gaze of one who could order murders and tortures under the slightest pretext.
White marble pedestal.
Very good state of preservation.
Roman work circa 1820