IMPERIAL PORTRAITURE IN MONTEMARTINI DISCARDED POWER PLANT

Gaio Cesare - click to enlarge

The Montemartini Museum, housed in the Montemartini discared power plant, exhibits important portraits of the Imperial era, found in various parts of Rome.

In our selection we begin with the portrait of Virgil, the poet so dear to Maecenas and Augustus. Following: August, the alleged Corbulone, great general in the service of the Emperors Claudius and Nero; the girl portrait probably a member of the Augustus family.

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Virgil	August	Corbulone

Again: Giulia daughter of Augustus, who was banished by his father for his debauchery; the virile portrait dating to the first Augustan age; Cleopatra could not be missing, the grooves at the temples were filled with precious stones, silver and gold.

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Giulia	Virile portrait	Cleopatra

Then we proceed with: Antonia Maggiore, daughter of Marco Antonio, grandson of Augustus and grandmother of Nero; Gaio Cesare, grandson of Augustus, died in battle at age 24; Tiberius, the great Emperor who, to escape the nobles conspiracies, left Rom going to Capri isle, ruling the Empire fates from there; Nero, portrayed in the early years of his Empire.

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Antonia Maggiore	Tiberius	Nero

From the portraiture of the Giulio-Claudia age, we move on to the following with: Domitian, the Emperor who fiercely opposed the Roman oligarchy, finally he was assassinated in AD 96, after 15 years of reign; Faustina Maggiore wife of the emperor Antonino Pio; Lucilla daughter of Marco Aurelio and Faustina Minore, herself the daughter of Faustina Maggiore and Antonino Pio; Alessandro Severo, the last Emperor of the Severan dynasty, killed in 235 AD, during a rebellion of the Danubian legions. Alessandro Severo became emperor in 222 at age 13, therefore the power was exerted by Giulia Maesa his grandmother and Giulia Mamaea his mother. Finally here is Carino who clashed against Diocletian; defeated lost his lives in 285 AD.

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Domitian	Lucilla	Carino

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