Roman sculpture
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The study of Roman sculpture is complicated by its relation to Greek sculpture. Many examples of even the most famous Greek sculptures, such as the Apollo Belvedere and Barberini Faun, are known only from Roman Imperial or Hellenistic "copies". At one time, this imitation was taken by art historians as indicating a narrowness of the Roman artistic imagination, but, in the late 20th century, Roman art began to be reevaluated on its own terms: some impressions of the nature of Greek sculpture may in fact be based on Roman artistry.
Allegorical scene from the Augustan Ara Pacis, 13 BCE, a highpoint of the state Greco-Roman style
The Grave relief of Publius Aiedius and Aiedia, 30 BC, Pergamon Museum (Berlin), with a more realist "Italian" style
Detail from the Ahenobarbus relief showing (centre-right) two Roman foot-soldiers c. 122 BC. Note the Montefortino-style helmets with horsehair plume, chain mail cuirasses with shoulder reinforcement, oval shields with calfskin covers, gladius and pilum
Arch of Constantine, 315: Hadrian lion-hunting (left) and sacrificing (right), above a section of the Constantinian frieze, showing the contrast of styles.
Capitoline Brutus
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The Capitoline Brutus is an ancient Roman bronze bust traditionally but probably wrongly thought to be an imagined portrait of the Roman consul Lucius Junius Brutus. The bust has long been dated to the late 4th to early 3rd centuries BC, but is perhaps as late as the 2nd century BC, or early 1st century BC.
"Capitoline Brutus", bronze portrait head, glass-inlaid bone eyes, late 4th to early 3rd centuries BC, on a 16th-century bronze bust
Portrait of Lucius Junius Brutus on a denarius of Marcus Junius Brutus minted in 54 BC.
Image: Capitoline Brutus Sala dei Trionfi Palazzo dei Conservatori Musei Capitolini Rome 2016
Image: Capitoline Brutus Musei Capitolini MC1183 03