Augustus of Prima Porta
Early first century AD
The first Roman emperor stands before you in the pose of a general addressing his troops, right arm raised, weight on the right leg, bare feet like a god or hero. He wears a decorated breastplate over a tunic and a cloak wrapped around his hips. Beside his right leg a small Cupid rides a dolphin, a reminder that the family of Augustus claimed descent from Venus. The face is young and serene, even though Augustus was probably in his seventies or already dead when this copy was carved.
The breastplate is the heart of the statue's message. At its centre a Parthian king hands back a Roman military standard, the eagles lost by Crassus decades earlier and recovered by Augustus through diplomacy in twenty BC. Around this scene the sky god spreads his cloak, the sun drives his chariot, the earth goddess reclines with a horn of plenty, and Apollo and Diana appear on either side. It is a claim that the whole cosmos approves of the emperor's peace. Look for tiny traces of the original paint, and remember that the statue was once brightly coloured; the museum has displayed a painted reconstruction to show how startling it looked.
The statue was found in eighteen sixty three at the villa of Livia, the emperor's wife, at Prima Porta north of Rome, and was bought almost immediately for the papal collections. It is probably a marble copy of a bronze original set up in Rome, and Livia may have kept it in memory of her husband. The head follows the official portrait type that Augustus used throughout his reign, showing a youthful ruler who never seemed to age. In the long corridor of the Braccio Nuovo, lined with emperors and gods, it remains the single most famous image of Roman power.
Did You Know? Analysis of pigment traces shows the statue was originally painted in vivid red, blue and purple, and the museum has shown a full colour replica beside it.
Unlock the Full Guide
Read every room and listen to every work in all museums with premium.