Vespasian adopted a softened countenance in his imagery, reflecting his good nature and alluding to his desires to pull the people of Rome together. A reflection of this desire was his initiation of construction on the Flavian Amphitheater (better known today as the Colosseum, and earning this name due to its proximity to the Colossus of Nero which once stood nearby), but one can also see this desire in his portraiture. The Flavian Dynasty (69-96 CE) was ushered in with the reign of Vespasian (69-79 CE), who set about restoring the Roman populous’ faith in the Emperor following the relatively disastrous rule of Nero (54-68). These portraits thus give us a window into Rome in the 1st century CE, but they also help us realize our inherent connections to our past. These female portrait busts of the Flavian Dynasty exemplify this concept: even in the ancient world, women sought to define their images with these elaborate and unique styles, not that unlike when celebrities appear on the red carpet for events today. One of the elements that fascinates me in the field of art history is how most ancient cultures behaved in ways that are similar to our patterns today. They are so distinctive that, like many portraits of women from the ancient Roman Empire, they can help us date these portraits even when individual identification eludes us.
#FLAVIAN PORTRAITURE HOW TO#
It goes without saying that these ladies knew how to style hair! These impressive “up-dos,” complete with a shelf-like projection of curls near the forehead met by elaborate plaits swirled into a chignon at the back of the head, undoubtedly required a significant amount of time and the aide of several maidservants. Matidia's natural hair was gathered above nape of the neck, while Pompeia Plotina wore a braid at the back of her head.I can never resist a close look at female portraiture of the ancient Roman Flavian Dynasty (69-96 CE). Their hairstyles still involved a vertical element, but the curls were simplified on the crown of the head. Trajan's wife Pompeia Plotina and his niece Matidia established a new style that was almost an abstraction of the Flavian style. The fashionable style among women during the reign of the Flavians had involved hairpieces and wigs to create a stack of curls on the crown of the head. These women also established the hairstyles of the period, which are so distinctive that busts and statues are easily dated to specific decades in accordance with the hairstyle of the woman depicted.ĭuring the Nervan-Antonine period, portraits of imperial women and their hairstyles kept some Flavian flavor but where simpler than they had been. The women of imperial families set the standards of fashion and beauty during the reigns of their husbands or other male family members. Most famous for his 12 labors performed to redeem himself after killing his family.Ī prominent and influential Greek statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age-specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. Son of Jupiter and Alcmene, a celebrated hero who possessed exceptional strength. Both Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius's wives chose to follow their respective husband's choice of style, and are depicted with hairstyles that derive from Greece, though they are notably more subdued than the styles of their predecessors.The styles of Trajan's wife Pompeia Plotina and his niece Matidia demonstrate a simplified abstract vertical form based on the earlier curly, extravagant Flavian style. Imperial women set the style and fashion for elite hair styles.Commodus believed himself to be the reincarnation of Hercules and commissioned portraits of himself as Hercules, complete with attributes associated with the hero and his deeds.Antoninus Pius continued this style, while Marcus Aurelius modeled his appearance after Greek philosophers. Hadrian changed Roman portrait style to reflect Greek styles and mimicked the hair and beard style of ancient Greek politicians.The portraiture of Nerva and Trajan display a militaristic look.