The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 18, 2019

The Emperor as Philosopher, probably Marcus Aurelius (reigned AD 161-180)

c. AD 180-200

Turkey, Bubon(?) (in Lycia), Roman, late 2nd Century

Bronze, hollow cast in several pieces and joined

Overall: 193 cm (76 in.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1986.5

Location

103 Roman

Fun Fact

The pose and dress of this statue tell us he's a philosopher.

Description

The extremely high quality and monumental scale of this bronze draped figure suggest that this is an imperial portrait. The pose with left leg forward, right arm raised to the chest, and right hand visible - is identical to several Greek portraits of philosophers. The figure is most probably the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who was a student of Stoicism, a set of Greek philosophical beliefs popular among educated Romans of his day. Marcus Aurelius wrote a collection of philosophical reflections called Meditations.

Citations
Kozloff, Arielle P. "The Cleveland Bronze: The Emperor as Philosopher." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987) pp. 84-99 www.jstor.org
Edmondson, J. C., and Alison Keith. Roman Dress and the Fabrics of Roman Culture. Toronto [Ont.]: University of Toronto Press, 2008. Reproduced: fig 3.8
Howlett-Martin, Patrick. Art, Nationalism and Cultural Heritage: Artworks Belong Where They Are Found. [Place of publication unknown] : [Createspace Independent Publishing Platform],2017. Reproduced: p. 91; Mentioned: pp. 90-91
Exhibition history

MFA Boston 1967-70, Ancient Art From Private Collections

Indianapolis Museum of Art (1974) 220-223

Year in Review for 1986. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-March 15, 1987).

Source URL: http://cmaweb23-bbn-2.clevelandart.org/art/1986.5