Remarkable frescoes of garden views were found, which have since been removed to the Palazzo Massimo Museum in Rome. The site was rediscovered and explored as early as 1596, but it was not recognized as the “Villa of Livia” until the 19th century. It was her magnificent country residence complementing her house on the Palatine Hill in Rome. It was probably part of Livia Drusilla’s dowry she brought when she married the emperor Augustus, her second husband, in 39 BC. The villa was in Prima Porta, near Rome, where Livia retired after Augustus’s death in AD 14. The villa was owned by Augustus’ third wife, Livia Drusilla.

The Villa of Livia is an ancient Roman villa at Prima Porta, 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) north of Rome.

The statue was discovered in 1863 at “Villa of Livia.” The Augustus of Prima Porta is displayed in the Braccio Nuovo (New Arm) of the Vatican Museums. The statue’s political function was to show Rome that the emperor Augustus was comparable to the legendary heroes worthy of being raised to divine status on Olympus, and the best man to govern Rome. The Prima Porta statue marks a conscious reversal of iconography to the Greek classical and Hellenistic period, in which youth and strength were valued as signs of leadership. The clear Greek inspiration in style and symbol for official sculptural portraits became instruments of governmental propaganda. Greek art was regarded as a symbol of wealth and status for the Roman upper class. This flow of Greek artifacts changed and influenced Roman tastes. The reason for this shift in style was the theft of large amounts of Greek art. The overall style is closer to Hellenistic idealization than to the realism of Roman portraiture. The Greek contrapposto stance is also copied, creating diagonals between tense and relaxed limbs, a feature typical of classical sculpture. The statue is an idealized image showing a standard pose of a Roman orator and based on the 5th-century BC Greek model by Polykleitos. The figures allude to diverse Roman deities, including Mars, the god of war, as well as the personifications of the latest territories he conquered: Hispania, Gaul, Germania, Parthia, and at the top, the chariot of the Sun illuminates Augustus’s deeds.Īugustus’s bare footedness and the inclusion of Cupid riding a dolphin reveals his mythical connection to the goddess Venus, Cupid’s mother, by way of his adopted father, Julius Caesar. The images on his armored breastplate have a complex symbolic and political propaganda agenda. He is depicted in military clothing, carrying a consular baton and raising his right hand, as if addressing the troops. This diplomatic achievement was Tiberius’s most significant service for Augustus, and this imagery connected Tiberius to the deified emperor and symbolized continuity between both reigns.Īugustus is shown in this role of “Imperator,” or commander-in-chief of the Roman army. Tiberius, who served as an intermediary in the recovery of the eagles, and is also depicted on the breastplate.

The statue was commissioned by Tiberius, the successor of Augustus. The imagery on the leather cuirass (breastplate armor) refers to the Parthian restitution of the Roman eagles, or insignia, in 20 BC, one of Augustus’ most significant diplomatic accomplishments. It is almost certain that this marble statue was initially painted.Īugustus is depicted barefooted, a convention signifying divinity, which indicates the original was created after his elevation to divine status in AD 14. Carved by expert Greek sculptors, the statue is assumed to be a copy of a lost bronze original that was displayed in Rome. Augustus of Prima Porta is a portrait statue of Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of the Roman Empire.

Julius caesar statue painted