id: 153358 accession number: 1986.5 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1986.5 updated: 2022-09-16 09:00:16.178000 The Emperor as Philosopher, probably Marcus Aurelius (reigned AD 161-180), c. AD 180–200. Turkey, Bubon(?) (in Lycia), Roman, late 2nd Century. Bronze, hollow cast in several pieces and joined; overall: 193 cm (76 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1986.5 title: The Emperor as Philosopher, probably Marcus Aurelius (reigned AD 161-180) title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. AD 180–200 creation date earliest: 180 creation date latest: 200 current location: 103 Roman creditline: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund copyright: --- culture: Turkey, Bubon(?) (in Lycia), Roman, late 2nd Century technique: bronze, hollow cast in several pieces and joined department: Greek and Roman Art collection: GR - Roman type: Sculpture find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 193 cm (76 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Year in Review for 1986 opening date: 1987-02-04T05:00:00 Year in Review for 1986. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-March 15, 1987). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1967-70). * Ancient Art From Private Collections, Indianapolis Museum of Art (1971-74). * Minneapolis Institute of Arts (1976-1980). * Ancient Art, Rutgers University (September 13-October 25, 1981). --- PROVENANCE Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lipson, Boston, MA date: footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1986- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: This sculpture was cast in 29 pieces, expertly joined together to create one figure (with at least one more piece for the head, now lost). digital description: The extremely high quality and monumental scale of this bronze draped figure suggest that it is an imperial portrait. Unusually, however, the pose and dress resemble those of a Greek philosopher rather than a Roman statesman (wearing a chiton and himation rather than toga). For these reasons, even without a head to confirm the identity, scholars have suggested this likely represents Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor known for his philhellenism and Stoic writings. wall description: The extremely high quality and monumental scale of this bronze draped figure suggest that this is an imperial portrait. The pose with left leg forward, right arm raised to the chest, and right hand visible - is identical to several Greek portraits of philosophers. The figure is most probably the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who was a student of Stoicism, a set of Greek philosophical beliefs popular among educated Romans of his day. Marcus Aurelius wrote a collection of philosophical reflections called Meditations. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS page number: url: Vermeule, Cornelius C. Roman imperial art in Greece and Asia Minor. 1968. page number: P. 548, Addition to p. 401, no. 9 ("a noble as Sophocles"). url: Berger, Ernst. "Ein neues Portrat Alexanders des Grossen," Antike Kunst vol 14 (1971). page number: pp. 139 ff. 139, note 3 url: Indianapolis Museum of Art. 1974. Ancient Art from Private Collections : [Exhibition]. Bulletin/Catalogue - Indianapolis Museum of Art : New Series, V. 1, No. 4. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art. page number: Cat. 4, ill. p. 223. url: Inan, Jale, "Der Bronzetorso im Burdur-Museum aus Bubon und der Bronzekopf im J. Paul Getty Museum," Istanbuler Mitteilungen, 27/28 (1977/78). page number: pp. 267-287, pls. 79-98 url: İnan, Jale, and Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum. Römische und frühbyzantinische Porträtplastik aus der Türkei: neue Funde. Mainz am Rhein: Von Zabern, 1979. page number: pp. 47-49 url: Vermeule, Cornelius C. "The Late Antonine and Severan Bronze Portraits from Southwest Asia Minor," in Jucker, Hans, Rolf A. Stucky, and Ines Jucker (eds.). Eikones: Studien zum griechischen und römischen Bildnis : Hans Jucker zum sechzigsten Geburtstag gewidmet. Bern: Francke, 1980. page number: Pp. 185-190, Cat. D ("Statue in Chiton and 'Plaid' Himation"). url: Rutgers University. Ancient Art: [Exhibition] The Rutgers University Art Gallery, New Brunswick, New Jersey, September 13-October 25, 1981. New Brunswick, N.J.: The University, 1981. page number: no. 10, p. 13 url: Parimoo, Ratan. Life of Buddha in Indian Sculpture: Ashta-Maha-Pratiharya : an Iconological Analysis. New Delhi, India: Kanak Publications, 1982. page number: p. 312, fig. 99 url: Christman, Bruce. “Technical Study: The Emperor as Philosopher.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). page number: pp. 100-113 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159979 Granger-Taylor, Hero. “The Emperor’s Clothes: The Fold Lines.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). page number: pp. 114–23 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159980 Pfrommer, Michael. “The Emperor’s Shoes: Hellenistic Footwear in Roman Times.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). page number: pp. 124–29 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159981 Kozloff, Arielle P. “Bubon: A Re-Assessment of the Provenance.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). page number: p. 130–43 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159982 Kozloff, Arielle P. “Introduction.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987). page number: pp. 82–83 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159977 Cleveland Museum of Art, “Museum Unveils Monumental Roman Bronze Sculpture,” February 1, 1987, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. page number: url: https://archive.org/details/cmapr3448 Kozloff, Arielle P. "The Cleveland Bronze: The Emperor as Philosopher." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 3 (1987) page number: pp. 84-99 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159978 Kozloff, Arielle P. Classical Art: A Brief Guide to the Collection, the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: The Museum, 1989. page number: p. 17 url: "Archeology in Anatolia," American Journal of Archaeology (1989). page number: p. 121 url: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. page number: Reproduced: p. 14 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1991/page/n29 Turner, Evan H. Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. page number: p. 193 url: Cleveland Museum of Art. Masterpieces from East and West. New York, NY: Rizzoli International, 1992. page number: p. 21 url: Mattusch, Carol C. The Fire of Hephaistos: Large Classical Bronzes from North American Collections. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Art Museums, 1996. page number: pp. 146-47, 344-47 url: May, Sally Ruth. Knockouts: a pocket guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. page number: Reproduced: no. 14, p. 18 - 19 url: Edmondson, J. C., and Alison Keith. Roman Dress and the Fabrics of Roman Culture. Toronto [Ont.]: University of Toronto Press, 2008. page number: Reproduced: fig 3.8 url: Cleveland Museum of Art, David Franklin, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. page number: pp. 48-9 url: Marlowe, Elizabeth. Shaky Ground: Context, Connoisseurship and the History of Roman Art. New York City and London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. page number: p. 53, fig. 11 url: Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. page number: Mentioned and reproduced: P. 86-87 url: Maximilian Lubos, "Bubon Bronzes _ New Perspectives," in Colloque international sur les bronzes antiques / Proceedings of the XVIIth International Congress on Ancient Bronzes, Izmir, eds. Alessandra R. Giumlia-Mair, and Carol C. Mattusch. 2016. page number: pp. 265-273 (ill. Fig. 5a). url: Howlett-Martin, Patrick. Art, Nationalism and Cultural Heritage: Artworks Belong Where They Are Found. [Place of publication unknown] : [Createspace Independent Publishing Platform],2017. page number: Reproduced: p. 91; Mentioned: pp. 90-91 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1986.5/1986.5_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1986.5/1986.5_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1986.5/1986.5_full.tif