Joe Geranio
07-15-2008, 07:16 PM
I believe this portrait represents emperor Gaius Caligula before he asscended to power in 37 A.D.
The only known pre-principate portraits of Caligula known are numismatics (coins) from Carthago Nova.
There are no accepted pre-principate portraits of Caligula by scholars and art historians of portraits in the round.
There is a work on Pre-principate portraits of Caligula by Prof. Pollini that with reservations suggests that this may be a pre-principate portrait of Caligula. There is no accepted pre-principate portrait of Caligula (in the round) that are accepted by scholars. I feel it really represents the young princeps Caligula. My opinion only.
For more on Julio Claudian iconography and portrait study see:
Geranio, Joe - Portraits of Caligula: The Seated Figure? Vol. XX, No. 1 (1997) Society for Ancient Numismatics
Geranio, Joe - Portraits of Caligula: The Seated Figure? Vol. 21, No. 9 . (2007) The Celator
Joe Geranio
The only known pre-principate portraits of Caligula known are numismatics (coins) from Carthago Nova.
There are no accepted pre-principate portraits of Caligula by scholars and art historians of portraits in the round.
There is a work on Pre-principate portraits of Caligula by Prof. Pollini that with reservations suggests that this may be a pre-principate portrait of Caligula. There is no accepted pre-principate portrait of Caligula (in the round) that are accepted by scholars. I feel it really represents the young princeps Caligula. My opinion only.
For more on Julio Claudian iconography and portrait study see:
Geranio, Joe - Portraits of Caligula: The Seated Figure? Vol. XX, No. 1 (1997) Society for Ancient Numismatics
Geranio, Joe - Portraits of Caligula: The Seated Figure? Vol. 21, No. 9 . (2007) The Celator
Joe Geranio