- Winged Victory of Samothrace 190 BC.
- Equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Bronze. 175 CE.
- Similarities and Differences
Introduction
Art has played a critical role in history to showcase the different issues and cultures of the society. One of the oldest forms of art is sculpting. For a long time, sculptures have been a main feature of the Etruscan art and representation of biblical subjects. This particular research paper examines how art particularly the sculpture genre was used to represent the common themes in the society at the time. The main pieces that have been examined are the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. The theme of power and victory are common in both pieces. Therefore, the analysis will analyze how the stated themes have been depicted in both artworks. The paper details a description of the two artworks, the reasons behind their making and use and the main cultures and periods that played a role in influencing the styles used in creating them.
Winged Victory of Samothrace 190 BC.
Winged Victory of Samothrace 190 BC (Pruski, 2019).
Winged Victory of Samothrace is one of the most magnificent sculptures that has ever been created. It is also known as the Nike of Samothrace. The artwork was discovered in the year 1863 by a French archaeologist known as Charles Champoiseau. Champoiseau found it in Samothrace island, history has it that it was created during the 200-190BC (du Louvre, 2014). 20 years after its discovery, it was brought to Paris in the Louvre museum. Its name is derived from the fact that it was found in the Samothrace Island which is located north of the Aegean. There is no clear articulation of the artist who created the sculpture. However, there are assumptions that after being found, it was erected by Demetrius Pollorcetes who was a Macedonian general. Even though the dating of the sculpture is not certain, majority of its features can be attributed to the Hellenism period. The Hellenistic period is a time in the Mediterranean history covering the period from when Alexander the great died to the period when the Roman Empire emerged (Pruski, 2019).
Pruski (2019) notes that during the Hellenistic period, the Greek cultural influence and power reached at the highest level of its geographical expansion and was then identified as the most dominant region in the Mediterranean world and majority of the west and central Asia regions. Following the death of Alexander the Great, his military campaign took east and eastern artistic characteristics and brought it to Greece.
Some of the key characteristics of the Hellenistic style comprise of dramatic, emotional and theatrical art. Most of the sculptures were filled with movement, the images of people curved tried to portray the actual people and not idealized beaty as in the case of other artwork forms in Greek particularly during the classical period (Pruski, 2019).
The Winged victory of Samothrace was sculpted in a marble. It was also created to stand on the prow of a ship. It is in an off-white parian marble while the ship has been crafted from a darker grey lartos marble. The Nike in the sculpture is more than 8 feet tall and since it has been placed on top of the ship, it adds to its weight (du Louvre, 2014). The artwork was created in memory of the Goddess of victory. The goddess is portrayed as a winged figure who had the ability of flying down from the mountain; Olympus. Often, the sculptures of the goddess of victory entailed features such as wings and the ability to land or alight (Pruski, 2019).
There are many assumptions which insinuate that the artwork was created to celebrate the Rhodian naval victory. Proponents of this notion hold on to the claim because the base of the marble was located in Rhodes and their army was renowned. There are other claims which assert that the Winged Victory of Samothrace was created in celebration of the Macedonian victory. Individuals supporting this theory assert that it must be in relation to the Macedonian victory because it is stylistically similar to the Macedonian art (du Louvre, 2014).
Equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Bronze. 175 CE.
Equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Bronze. 175 CE (Caesar, 2015).
The Equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius is an ancient roman statue made of bronze. Its height is 13.9 feet tall and it is located on the Capitoline Hill, Rome, Italy. The artist who created this particular piece is not known. However, after it was found, the Roman senate hired Michelangelo to refurbish the statute. The artwork was casted using the lost wax technique. The host and rider were casted in many different pieces and then soldered together after being casted. Despite the fact that the emperor statute is mounted, it displays numerous similarities of standing statues of Augustus. The main theme of the artwork is power and divine grandeur. In the sculpture, the emperor is over life size and can be seen extending his hand, a common gesture known as adiocutio. This was a gesture that was used by emperors at the time when talking to their troops (Caesar, 2015).
The status was erected in the year ca. 175 AD. The original location where it was found is not certain and there are controversial debates on the issue. Some of the regions that have been mentioned during the debates is the roman forum and the plaza Colonna (Stewart, 2012).
The horse figure is a superb example of dynamism that was taken in the sculptural medium. The horse is depicted to be in motion. This can be deduced from the fact that the horse is seen with its right foreleg raised at the knee while planting its left foreleg on the ground. The motion of the horse can also be confirmed due to the application of the reigns. Originally, the emperor used to hold the reins in his left hand (Stewart, 2012). Moreover, the body of the horse, specifically the musculature has been crafted very carefully by the artist ensuing a powerful rendering. On the other hand, the horseman has sat astride the steed. His left hand is seen guiding the reins while the right arm has been raised to the shoulder level while the hand has been outstretched (Caesar, 2015).
Emperors’ equestrian statues were a common thing during the ancient Rome period particularly in cities. Some of the late antique sources note that there were around 22 similar statue. The reason behind the commonality of these kinds of statues lies with the fact that they were official tools that were used to honor the emperor for singular military and civic successes. Despite the fact that there were many equestrian statues, majority of them did not survive because it was a common practive at the time to melt down bronze materials inclusive of statues for reuse as materials for making coins or even recreation of new sculptures (Stewart, 2012).
History has it that there are only two remaining bronze statues that were created during the pre-Christian Roman emperor, Equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius being one of them. The survival of this particular statute is attributed to Campidoglio (Caesar, 2015).
This statute is not only an important object for studying the official roman portraiture but it is also significant for monumental dedications. It also has significant in history and the contemporary society since it shows a connection between the past and current societies (Stewart, 2012).
Similarities and Differences
There are several similarities and differences that can be deduced from the two pieces of art. One of the similarities is that both artworks have been created based on the themes of power and victory or rather divine grandeur. Also, both pieces have theatrical features particularly the use of motion. The goddess in winged victory of Samothrace has being shown to have wings, a feature that indicates the goddess had the ability to fly and land (du Louvre, 2014). Movement is a common feature of Hellenism period art, it is also a common characteristic of Equestrian statues. In the sculpture niche, the term Equestrian statue is used to describe statues that had a rider mounted on the horse. Usually, the sculptures were crafted to showcase movement. It is for this reason that the horse in the Equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius has been shown to be in motion. The horse has been casted with its right foreleg, the emperor is also seen with his left hand raised. Another similarity between the two artworks is that they have been associated with political issues and figures. The Equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius represents the emperor who was a political figure. On the other hand, Winged Victory of Samothrace was created in celebration of political victory.
Regarding their differences, it is apparent that the two pieces were created in different periods in history. Winged Victory of Samothrace is dated 190BC while the Equestrian statue is dated 175CE. Also, the two statutes have been created using different materials. While the winged victory of Samothrace has been crafted from parian marble, the Equestrian statue was made from bronze.
References
Caesar, M. (2015). Philosopher King: The Coinage of Marcus Aurelius. Print.
du Louvre, M. R. (2014). Winged Victory of Samothrace. Cast Collection.
Pruski, S. (2019). Prowess and Protection: A Cultic Analysis of the “Winged Victory of Samothrace” in Ancient Greece (Doctoral dissertation).
Stewart, P. (2012). The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. A Companion to Marcus Aurelius, 96, 264.
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