Images(11)

Portrait of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius

Artist Unknown Roman artist

Datecirca 160–180

MediumMarble, Parian lychnites

Dimensions27 3/4 x 18 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. (70.5 x 47 x 31.8 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from gifts by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes, Mrs. Chauncey McCormick, and various donors, by exchange

Object number92.1

On View

Not on view

Label TextIn this portrait the richly carved surface of Marcus Aurelius’s hair and beard contrast with the smooth planes of his face, creating a forceful expression. Despite its realism, this image of him in military dress is meant to convey his public persona as a ruler, not necessarily his actual appearance.

Marcus Aurelius was one of the most respected emperors in Roman history. Today he is best remembered for his diaries, giving us insight into the mind of a rare ruler who put the needs of his people before his own, a true “Philosopher King.” Though these writings give us an intimate portrait of his innermost thoughts, they were published long after his death and were not meant to be public.
["Portraits and Power," 2024]ProvenanceProvenience unknown. Private collection, Aachen, Germany; by descent through family prior to 1991 [1]; [McAlpine Ancient Art, London]; [Robert Haber & Co., New York, 1991]; sold to NCMA, 1992.

[1] Per McAlpine, fax dated February 18, 1992, NCMA object file 92.1. The collection has yet to be identified.Published ReferencesSteve Swindell, "Art museum's directors OK $767,000 to buy three works," Raleigh: The News and Observer (March 14, 1992), 6B, illus.

North Carolina Museum of Art Preview (Autumn 1992), illus. (b-w) 22.

Artemis 91-92, Annual General Meeting: January 22, 1993, 12, illus. fig. 3.

Introduction to the Collections, rev. ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1992), illus. (b-w) 33.

Gazette des Beaux-Arts no. 1490 (March 1993), 40, illus.

"Med in Latin: Department of Classical Studies" (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1994-94), illus. back panel of flyer.

Mary Ellen Soles, entry for Portrait of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, Rebecca Martin Nagy, ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1998), 38, illus. (color).

Fred C. Albertson, "The Creation and Dissemination of Roman Imperial Portrait Types: The Case of Marcus Aurelius Type IV," in Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts 119 (2004), briefly discussed 297, illus (b-w) 296.

John M. Riddle, A History of the Middle Ages, 300-1500 (Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Plymouth, UK: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008), illus. (b-w) 16, fig. 1.2.

Mary Ellen Soles, entry for Portrait of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, rev. ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2010), 78, illus. (color) 79.

Christopher Davis, "Portrait of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius" in “You Are the River: Literature Inspired by the North Carolina Museum of Art,” edited by Helena Feder (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2021), illus (color) 168.

C. Niederhuber, Roman Imperial Portrait Practice in the Second Century AD: Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022), 97, no. 21 (“Appendix, Marcus Aurelius Type III”).

North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection," (Raleigh, NC; North Carolina Museum of Art, 2024), illus. (color) 148.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Art for the People: Recent Museum Acquisitions,” September 14, 1997-January 4, 1998. (Closing date extended to January 25, 1998)

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–May 29, 2024.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," June 17, 2024-April 7, 2025. Object Rights Statement

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