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Colossal draped bust, Atelier du Louvre, plaster cast of the Emperor Constantine

Colossal draped bust, Atelier du Louvre, plaster cast of the Emperor Constantine

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Atelier du Louvre
Colossal draped bust, Atelier du Louvre, plaster cast of the Emperor Constantine

$5,736.40List Price

About the Item

A monumental plaster bust of Constantine the Great by Atelier du Louvre from the original in the Musee du Louvre Paris. Carrying the stamp of the Atelier. A magnificent and imposing bust after the Roman original. Nicely patinated. An iconic object, perfect as a statement piece in a classical or contemporary interior. Replica from and by the Louvre, Paris Date of the original: c. 350 AD Provenance of the original: discovered in 1864; formerly in the Campana collection; now in the Louvre, Paris Colossal draped bust of a man placed on a small pedestal. Symbolic or spiritual portrait of the Roman Emperor Constantine I, who ruled AD 306-337. Plaster replica; white marble and alabaster original. The dimensions of the plaster closely resemble those of the original. The period of Late Antiquity saw changes in all areas of Greco-Roman society. The emperor Diocletian (AD 284-305) transformed the Roman Empire by splitting it into Eastern and Western halves. Then, at the beginning of the fourth century AD, Constantine the Great (AD 306-337) made Christianity legal. The Eastern and Western Empires soon took divergent paths. The Eastern Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire and persisted for another thousand years. The Western Roman Empire, however, fell in AD 476. The fourth to sixth centuries in the west are therefore a transitional period encompassing the shift from classical antiquity to the so-called “barbarian kingdoms” of tribes such as the Vandals, Franks, Visigoths and Ostrogoths. Beginning around the third century AD, artistic sensibilities embarked on a gradual change as well. The influence of Christianity predominates in the art of the period, leading to a strong emphasis on spiritual and symbolic, rather than realistic and naturalistic, themes. Christian artists chose to reject the classical ideals of perfection in form and technique. Rather, they sought to present images which would draw the spectator into the inner eye of their work, emphasizing its spiritual significance. Men and women were no longer represented as images of physical perfection. Instead, their appearance was nondescript; their function was to represent historical or biblical characters in symbolic tableaux from the Old or New Testament. The principles of perspective were abandoned in favour of a hierarchy of scale in which privileged figures were greater in size. Under Constantine the Great), as sole ruler (AD 324-337), Christianity became legal. This is a symbolic representation of Constantine rather than a portrait (see for comparison: Trajan; Livia; Gaius or Lucius Caesar; Hannibal). The upward-turned eyes with unnatural emphasis on iris and pupil suggest a spiritual gaze, one not of this world. Constantine I was declared Emperor of the Western half of the Empire in 306 C.E. by the troops of his deceased father, the late emperor of the West. Because he was not the only general to make a claim for this title, it wasn’t until 312 C.E. with his defeat of Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge that he was the sole ruler of the West. Constantine’s conversion to Christianity began at this battle, when contemporary historians report that before the battle he received a vision from God showing him the Chi-Rho with the message “In this sign you will conquer” in Greek. His conversion was followed by the propagation of the Edict of Milan in 313 C.E., which officially decoupled paganism from the state and made Christianity a legal religion with the right to build and own churches as property. Licinius, Constantine’s co-emperor to the East who had agreed to this Edict, eventually returned to persecuting Christians in the East, giving Constantine a precedent, reinforced by other conflicts, to invade his co-emperor and become the sole ruler of the Empire.

Creator:
Atelier du Louvre
Dimensions:
Height: 40 in (101.6 cm)Width: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Depth: 16 in (40.64 cm)
Medium:
Plaster
Movement & Style:
Byzantine
Period:
20th Century
Condition:
The bust is in overall good condition. Being well cast the plaster shows the imperfections of the original, these in no way detract from the overall appearance, if anything they add to its authenticity. Some light losses and scuffing to the surface.
Gallery Location:
Cotignac, FR
Reference Number:
Seller: LG1stDibs: LU143029531942

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