ganymedesrocks: A Roman marble statue of the Emperor Hadrian Reign 117-138 AD ©Ch
ganymedesrocks: A Roman marble statue of the Emperor Hadrian Reign 117-138 AD ©Christie’s Classic Week October 2019Christie’s announces that The Cobham Hall Hadrian is the top lot of The Exceptional Sale on October 29, during Christie’s Classic Week. The Roman Marble Statue of the Emperor Hadrian will be sold in order to benefit the Mougins Museum of Classical Art in the South of France. It is one of the finest ancient statues from the Grand Tour era of collecting and the only full-length statue of a famous emperor to appear at auction in a bit over a decade. The over-life-sized marble statue depicts the Emperor Hadrian standing in a chiastic pose with his weight on his right leg, his left leg bent at the knee and drawn back and his right arm raised. Hadrian’s body is robust and powerfully built. He dons a voluminous mantle around the lower part of his frame, draped over the left arm, while his muscular torso and chest are exposed. The head is turned slightly to his right with a cropped beard and mustache and his characteristic wavy hair ending in corkscrew curls along his forehead. The marble statue is an impressive and heroizing depiction of the Emperor, who’s chiastic stance and athletic physicality recalls the work of 5th century BC sculptor Polykleitos. Hadrian was born in Rome in 76 AD, to reign over the Roman Empire for 21 years, distinguishing himself as a military strategist who attempted to solidify the Empire’s borders. His military accolades include the construction of walls in Britain to defend Roman Britain from the Scottish Picts in the North and in Algeria. He completed Athens’ Temple of Zeus, and created the Panhellenic League in an attempt to secure the loyalty of Greek aristocracy. During his succession, Hadrian initiated an unparalleled building program throughout the Empire. In Rome, he built the Pantheon in the Campus Martius, the Temple of Venus in the Forum, and his own Mausoleum, now known as the Castel Sant’ Angelo. -- source link