The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 5, 2023

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

not on view

Fun Fact

This sculpture was cast in 29 pieces, expertly joined together to create one figure (with at least one more piece for the head, now lost).

Description

The extremely high quality and monumental scale of this bronze draped figure suggest that it is an imperial portrait. Unusually, however, the pose and dress resemble those of a Greek philosopher rather than a Roman statesman (wearing a chiton and himation rather than toga). For these reasons, even without a head to confirm the identity, scholars have suggested this likely represents Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor known for his philhellenism and Stoic writings.

Provenance
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lipson, Boston, MA
1986-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Vermeule, Cornelius C. Roman imperial art in Greece and Asia Minor. 1968. P. 548, Addition to p. 401, no. 9 ("a noble as Sophocles").
Berger, Ernst. "Ein neues Portrat Alexanders des Grossen," Antike Kunst vol 14 (1971). pp. 139 ff. 139, note 3
Indianapolis Museum of Art. 1974. Ancient Art from Private Collections : [Exhibition]. Bulletin/Catalogue - Indianapolis Museum of Art : New Series, V. 1, No. 4. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art. Cat. 4, ill. p. 223.
Inan, Jale, "Der Bronzetorso im Burdur-Museum aus Bubon und der Bronzekopf im J. Paul Getty Museum," Istanbuler Mitteilungen, 27/28 (1977/78). pp. 267-287, pls. 79-98
İnan, Jale, and Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum. Römische und frühbyzantinische Porträtplastik aus der Türkei: neue Funde. Mainz am Rhein: Von Zabern, 1979. pp. 47-49
Vermeule, Cornelius C. "The Late Antonine and Severan Bronze Portraits from Southwest Asia Minor," in Jucker, Hans, Rolf A. Stucky, and Ines Jucker (eds.). Eikones: Studien zum griechischen und römischen Bildnis : Hans Jucker zum sechzigsten Geburtstag gewidmet. Bern: Francke, 1980. Pp. 185-190, Cat. D ("Statue in Chiton and 'Plaid' Himation").
Rutgers University. Ancient Art: [Exhibition] The Rutgers University Art Gallery, New Brunswick, New Jersey, September 13-October 25, 1981. New Brunswick, N.J.: The University, 1981. no. 10, p. 13
Parimoo, Ratan. Life of Buddha in Indian Sculpture: Ashta-Maha-Pratiharya : an Iconological Analysis. New Delhi, India: Kanak Publications, 1982. p. 312, fig. 99
Christman, Bruce. “Technical Study: The Emperor as Philosopher.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). pp. 100-113 www.jstor.org
Granger-Taylor, Hero. “The Emperor’s Clothes: The Fold Lines.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). pp. 114–23 www.jstor.org
Pfrommer, Michael. “The Emperor’s Shoes: Hellenistic Footwear in Roman Times.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). pp. 124–29 www.jstor.org
Kozloff, Arielle P. “Bubon: A Re-Assessment of the Provenance.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). p. 130–43 www.jstor.org
Kozloff, Arielle P. “Introduction.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). pp. 82–83 www.jstor.org
Cleveland Museum of Art, “Museum Unveils Monumental Roman Bronze Sculpture,” February 1, 1987, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
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
Kozloff, Arielle P. Classical Art: A Brief Guide to the Collection, the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: The Museum, 1989. p. 17
"Archeology in Anatolia," American Journal of Archaeology (1989). p. 121
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 14 archive.org
Turner, Evan H. Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. p. 193
Cleveland Museum of Art. Masterpieces from East and West. New York, NY: Rizzoli International, 1992. p. 21
Mattusch, Carol C. The Fire of Hephaistos: Large Classical Bronzes from North American Collections. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Art Museums, 1996. pp. 146-47, 344-47
May, Sally Ruth. Knockouts: a pocket guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. Reproduced: no. 14, p. 18 - 19
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
Cleveland Museum of Art, David Franklin, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. pp. 48-9
Marlowe, Elizabeth. Shaky Ground: Context, Connoisseurship and the History of Roman Art. New York City and London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. p. 53, fig. 11
Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 86-87
Maximilian Lubos, "Bubon Bronzes _ New Perspectives," in Colloque international sur les bronzes antiques / Proceedings of the XVIIth International Congress on Ancient Bronzes, Izmir, eds. Alessandra R. Giumlia-Mair, and Carol C. Mattusch. 2016. pp. 265-273 (ill. Fig. 5a).
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

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1967-70).

Ancient Art From Private Collections, Indianapolis Museum of Art (1971-74).

Minneapolis Institute of Arts (1976-1980).

Ancient Art, Rutgers University (September 13-October 25, 1981).

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

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1986.5