Imperial portrait
Philosophical bronze portrait of Marcus Aurelius from Lugio
MúzeumCafé 12.
Marcus Aurelius is the first emperor whose portraits are well-known. They stretch from early childhood to old age, thus the process of his aging as well as changes in his features, facial hair and hair style can be closely followed. A bronze portrait depicting his philosophical disposition was discovered in the Hungarian village of Dunaszekcső. The fact that an outstanding work of portrait sculpture from the Roman Imperial Period was discovered in the camp of Lugio, a fortification by the River Danube in ancient Pannonia, at the border region of the Roman Empire, may be attributed with some symbolic significance. Due to pure chance, it was found in 1974 during the construction of a water reservoir in the locality. Marcus Aurelius is a decisive figure of both Roman history and antique art history in several respects. The selection of Marcus Aurelius as a child by the far-seeing Hadrian proved to be auspicious. He was of noble origin and in the emperor’s household he received a first-class education in Latin and Greek, as well as literature, rhetoric and philosophy. The bronze head of Marcus Aurelius is a high quality piece in its own right, and especially so in relation to this genre in Pannonia. In view of its superior quality, it can be justly considered a product of a Roman or Eastern workshop, rather than that of bronze casting in Pannonia itself. This is proved by the fact that it surprisingly resembles the head of the mounted statue standing on the Capitolium in Rome. The portrait in Lugio may have been brought to Pannonia from a distant workshop – this is indicated by the edge of the bronze head’s neck, which has remained intact and was connected to an imperial armour statue standing for a long time in a shrine for standards.