Roman Marble Equestrian Statue of Caligula, British Museum.

 

Roman Marble Equestrian Statue of Caligula,

British Museum.

 

Height 2.05 metres approx.

second century AD.

 

The statue was found in or near Rome in the sixteenth century, was then restored by Giacomo della Porta, and from 1652 stood in the Palazzo Farnese. Restorations include the youth's arms and three of the horse's legs. Purchased from the King of Naples in 1864.

When the sculpture first entered the Museum it was identified as a portrait of the emperor Caligula or Gaius (AD 37-41) in his youth. Later it was thought that the head might not belong to the body, and that the body itself dated to the mid-later second century, representing, perhaps, one of the imperial princes of that period. During recent cleaning, however, it was observed that the marble of the head of the youth and the unrestored parts of the horse were the same.

This information and images from the British Museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crispjan de Passe.

Before 1600.

150 x 105 mm

British Museum.

 

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Caligula.

Adrian Collaert

c 1587 - 89

323 x 217 mm.

 

British Museum.

 

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Caligula

Mezzotint

John Faber the elder.

349 x 249 mm.

Early 18th Century