Capitoline She-Wolf Essay

252 Words2 Pages
No piece of Roman art seems to represent the culture better than Capitoline She-Wolf, as, indeed, that was the mascot of Rome. This larger than life-size sculpture portrays a she-wolf suckling twin infants. The she-wolf from the legend of Romulus & Remus was a symbol of Roman antiquity, and it expresses love, care, protection, and strength. . Pliny the Elder mentions this statue in the Roman forum as, “a miracle proclaimed in bronze nearby, as though she had crossed the Comitium while Attus Navius was taking the omens.” Although the sculpture is Etruscan, it associates with Roman art. The hollow-cast bronze statue stands thirty- three and a half inches tall and is the symbol of the city of Rome, representing strength, might, prosperity, and glory of the new Roman people. Another piece of elaborate art is the Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, a Roman sacrificial altar enclosed in a screen of Parian marble beautifully carved in high relief with allegorical and ceremonial scenes. It’s a excellent example of using traditional Greek forms to propagate a new Roman philosophy, specifically legitimizing a new emperor. The original site of Ara Pacis was consecrated July 4, 13 BC, right after Augustus’ return to Rome after fruitful campaigns to Gaul and Sparta, and dedicated on his wife’s birthday in 9 BC. As Augustus’ leitmotif of reign was peace, he had his image and monuments associated with peaceful scenes of life and myth, and the Ara Pacis is no
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