Hum 225: Art and Culture of Rome 8-24

Marcus Aurelius
Palazzo dei Conservatori
Bronze Statue Once Covered in Gold

There are many aspects of the Marcus Aurelius statue which we can interpet. First, Marcus Aurelius is riding horse which tells us he was a man of power and importance. At the same time, his horse standing and not in the air signaling he was not a warrior. In the original statue, Marcus Aurelius was covered in a thin layer of gold. Only the gods and most prominent figures in Rome had the gold covering. The fact that the Gods were also covered in gold allows us to understand the respect and importance of Marcus Aurelius.
If you look at the horse, you will see right front leg in the air and its head is giving the impression that it is being pulled back. This gives a sense that Marcus is telling the horse to stop, but for what reason. Supposedly, a barbarian who had just been conquered was asking to be killed. Marcus, however, shows that this person no longer free by telling him he will be a slave and not be killed. The extending of Marcus’ right hand, to me, is him telling the people that they are now part of Rome, and are under his rule. All of their freedom and privileges have been stripped away since they were conquered.

Hercules Statue
Palazzo dei Conservatori
Bronze Statue once covered in Gold

The statue of Hercules is covered in gold, just as Marcus’ Aurelius was, because he was one of the Roman Gods, which once again is a symbol of standing and power. Since Hercules is the God of Strength, there are many attributes that symbolize this. First, his statue depicts him as extremely muscular. This can be seen with his calves, biceps, triceps, and chest. The odd part about the statue is the size of his head compared to the rest of the body especially his hands. It is much smaller in relation to the rest of his body. This could be symbolic for the type of person Hercules was meaning he would act out instead of thinking through solutions.
Another aspect of which relates to him being the God of Strength is the enormous club he is holding. In the other hand, he was shown holding something. While I could not depict it, I would imagine it is a body part of someone he had killed. He is also in a relaxed posture looking out into the distance. For me, the statue depicts a time soon after recently being victorious and looking out over the recent bloodshed, especially, since the club is not being held in a manner to which he would plan to use it.