The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 26, 2022

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

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.

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").
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.
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").
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
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
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
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

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

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