The Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus from Early Christianity art versus Augustus of Primporta from Roman art. Both have different uses but are very similar in style. It is a bit of a stretch between the two pieces but there is similar skill level and propaganda in both. Augustus is formed in the round as for the sarcophagus is mainly made up of relief sculptures. But in the breast plate of Augustus is a high relief, which is has interesting propaganda reflected in the story. The similarities and differences of Augustus and Sarcophagus of Junius are very interesting to dig deeper and figure out when looking at the pieces side by side.
Let start by pointing out what pages both pieces are in the book, Augustus of Primaporta is on page 175 in the ancient art book, as for the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus is on page 230 in the Medieval book if you would like to follow along. Starting with Augustus of Primporta was made for Julius Caesar’s nephew Augustus it was made out of bronze and produced in the round. When looking at the Augustus statue it is very detailed. The way the cloth looks that Augustus is holding is very natural true to life. Augustus is in a composite pose and has an oratory gesture. His haircut is said to look like his uncles Julius Caesar showing a reference to power. There are few reliefs in this piece to reference a god, one in being with the cupid by his feet and the dolphin signifying Vensus and the fact that he is not wearing any shoes. Not wearing shoes is what the Gods were believed to do as a symbol of strength. Also on his breastplate there are the Gods supporting him in his successes in war. This is similar to the Sarcophagus to how the style is so strong and beautiful and both use propaganda.
Now to the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus was for a Roman official Junius Bassus, the sarcophagus is a high relief of the Old and New Testament. This piece is very interesting because it shows the New Testament on the top register and on the bottom is the Old Testament. The reliefs look very similar to the sculpture of Augustus in style. They both have very beautiful reliefs that are very detailed. The fact that this testament of Christ’s life is imprinted on the sarcophagus shows a sign of power or propaganda. The third relief on the top register is a big similarity to the Roman art piece of Augustus because Jesus is shown stepping on a God. Showing power over believing in more then one god. Though Augustus believed in more then one God, the sarcophagus is showing power over others using a belief in a higher power.
It is possible that the Augustus of Primaporta was based on a bronze original. The example in our book, obviously, is made out of marble.
ReplyDeleteDid you notice that the Roman god depicted on the Junius Bassus sarcophagus is the same sky god that is depicted on Augustus' breastplate?
-Prof. Bowen
Do you believe that the cloth Augustus is holding can symbolize life experience or any other symbolic meaning? We see that Augustus has gone to battle, and there is evidence of this in his breast plate, and also that he is standing in a confident pose than most other statues we have seen this quarter. So my interpretation of the cloth is that the longer it is, it can represents the many battles or accomplishments made in his life.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that you mentioned all of the representations of god in the sculpture of Augustus which is very important in how propaganda was used in this time period. The notation of god in the breastplate, and the lack of shoes is important to note. It is interesting that godliness would be depicted in the lack of shoes, I like how you you mentioned that.
ReplyDeleteThe way you described Augustus was what I liked the most. I can see symbolism in that. Like Nochojil said, Augustus portrayed some representations of God, and I think that is important to understand as it is also very interesting. I guess in that way both pieces kind of relate, right?
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