Constantine the Great
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2015-00-00
Name/Title
Constantine the GreatEntry/Object ID
79R0427Description
Bust to mid-chest of Roman emperor Constantine draped, and atop a small pedestal. Plaster replica, marble original. Only the face is certainly original, the remainder of the bust was most likely from another statues and added significantly after the creation of the portrait head.Type of Sculpture
BustArtwork Details
Medium
PlasterSubject Person
Constantine IContext
Constantine I, also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from 306 until his death in 337 CE. Constantine I was the son of Flavius Constantius, one of the four members of the Tetrarchy, the governing system instituted under Emperor Diocletian in 293 CE. Constantine was the first emperor to convert to Christianity and in 313 CE, he and Licinius, his co-emperor ruling in the East, co-authored the Edict of Milan, granting religious tolerance to Christians in the empire. This bust is a symbolic representation of Constantine rather than a portrait. His youthful appearance, with short hair and clean-shaven face, associates Constantine with great emperors of Rome’s golden age such as Augustus and Trajan. The upward-turned eyes with unnatural emphasis on the iris and pupil suggest a spiritual gaze. The sculptors looked to their Classical past while incorporating the optimistic beliefs of the newly accepted Christian religion.Made/Created
Date made
337 CE - 340 CETime Period
Late AntiqueEthnography
Culture/Tribe
Roman