Equestrian Sculpture of Marcus Aurelius

Empire: Equestrian Sculpture of Marcus Aurelius, bronze, c. 173-76 C.E., (Capitoline Museums, Rome). The original location of the sculpture is unknown though it had been housed in the Lateran Palace since the 8th century until it was placed in the center of the Piazza del Campidoglio by Michelangelo in 1538. The original is now indoors for purposes of conservation. Marcus Aurelius ruled 161-180 C.E. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.

[@Kaiserohnepurpur]

The person who thought this was Constantine and thus unknowingly prevented it from being melted down deserves an applause.

[@Sennmut]

Given all the coins and statues of Constantine that have survived from the 4th Century A.D., I'm surprised at the error.

[@marta9127]

Sometimes ignorance is a virtue, it seems.

[@rustyw5842]

Take a moment to place yourself in Roma in 200 C.E. The forums were intact and vibrant, the Colloseo, the Pantheon, all of the amazing architecture was present and whole. Has there ever been a period in which art, architecture, mathematics, etc was so avant-gard and present in everyday life? This equestrian statue was one among many artworks which portrayed an idealized, deified humanity, 3 dimensional but with the flaws removed, which a Roman citizen (or slave) walked past every day.

[@eleniasimop]

There was such a place: Athens 5th century BC

[@steviechampagne]

we have lost the impact of art

[@Sasha0927]

This sculpture reminds me of how impactful body language can be. That extended arm is such a simple gesture, but I do get the impression of someone having control of himself and those around him.

[@williampaquet6573]

A stunning work of art in a hideously designed space.

[@hunrb27]

Awesome statue of an awesome man.

[@TWOCOWS1]

The misidentification of this sculpture as representing Constantine--the first Christine emperor--thus saving it from certain destruction/melting down, was by Pope Gelasius I (who also was the first pope to be referred to as the “vicar of Christ"). He probably did that intentionally, to encourage religiosity and icons that the image-deriven believers in the city could relate to.

[@alvarorodriguez479]

his words are helping me today. simply amazing. thank you.

[@juliolco7421]

To me, the horse could be a representation of the roman empire and Marcus Aurelius giving their directions (governance)

[@theoldar]

Horses were smaller then. Huge war horses are a medieval development.

[@DanneSandin]

I think the reason for Marcus Aurelius appearing to be too big for the horse is because horses used to be a lot smaller than they are today. The size of modern day horses is because of selective breeding, with the goal of getting bigger and stronger horses.

[@TWOCOWS1]

not so. Horses came in all sizes as they do today. There was another reason: don't let the horse to outshine the man

[@gareth5528]

If you were viewing the statue from below and the proportions were accurate, Marcus Aurelius would look very small

[@Sevmarick]

DanneSandin i can confirm. My family breeds horses and it is commonly known in that community that horses have been continuously been growing larger since they were first domesticated.

[@oltedders]

@@Sevmarick Without a doubt. Any survey of ancient sculpture will confirm the relatively small size of horses compared to their riders.

[@marta9127]

Well, don't you think that horses used in battlefield were in deed smaller? It makes sense. In Poland, where I come from it was known that for example the XVII c. cavalry was using much smaller and lighter horses. And when you see the modern bronze statue of Stefan Czarniecki in my home town Warka (he was our great hetman who won the battle of Warka 1656 defeating tge Swedesh army invading Poland) the horse is really big. The author of the art work Tomasz Górnicki has said that he acctually made the decision to choose a different breed of horses to be the model, because he thought that the original horse that would be really used in the battle by Polish army back in 1656 would seem „too small”. He chose to replace the reality for imagination in order to show the figure of Czarniecki as more impressive... It says to me that the horse Marcus Aurelius is riding on is probably a very accurate representation of how his real horse would look like. It isn't too small!

[@dayros2023]

A wonderful work of art, go to see it in person if you can.

[@galreserve2322]

-Good to see u,old friend! (Maximo)

[@brodie2711]

If you compare the Marcus Aurelius equestrian statue with more modern equestrian statues the Emperor's body sits more forward on the horse because at this time they didn't use stirrups.

[@davep5647]

This statue is huge in person...like 15 ft tall.

[@BrandynsTechTube]

Beautiful Sculpture, writing a scholarly paper on it now. Does anyone else agree that the figure represented appears to be very large for his horse like mentioned in the video?

[@DanneSandin]

I don't think it matters now, but horses used to be a lot smaller back in the day. They're bigger now

[@fabrisse7469]

I also wonder if the difference in posture created by stirrups changes how it looks to our eyes.

[@zacgriffin9506]

can u send me your scholarly paper on the statue?

[@oltedders]

No. Horses WERE comparatively smaller than they are in modern times.

[@marta9127]

Well, don't you think that horses used in battlefield were in deed smaller? It makes sense. In Poland, where I come from it was known that for example the XVII c. cavalry was using much smaller and lighter horses. And when you see the modern bronze statue of Stefan Czarniecki in my home town Warka (he was our great hetman who won the battle of Warka 1656 defeating tge Swedesh army invading Poland) the horse is really big. The author of the art work Tomasz Górnicki has said that he acctually made the decision to choose a different breed of horses to be the model, because he thought that the original horse that would be really used in the battle by Polish army back in 1656 would seem „too small”. He chose to replace the reality for imagination in order to show the figure of Czarniecki as more impressive... It says to me that the horse Marcus Aurelius is riding on is probably a very accurate representation of how his real horse would look like. It isn't too small!

[@SimonSozzi7258]

How did they assemble the individual cast pieces without blow torches?

[@ehcvolver8032]

do a video on Regisole!

[@pikagamergirl16]

Now I can't unsee how the horse is too small for his body. Now all I see is someone riding a carousel pony.

[@EuropeArtHeritage]

More than likely, Marcus Aurelius was riding his favorite horse; therefore he did not have to "command" it with domineering control. Rather, man and horse worked as "one" in a trusting relationship. Also, the horse represents the "type" ( and not breed) of horse most desirable for battle and pageantries with its high-step, arched neck, slightly convex nose, low-tail carriage, noble eye. The Greeks were well educated in horsemanship and horse care; they were creatures very prized ~

[@casianado]

The statue was originally located at St. Giovanni in Laterano.

[@smarthistoryvideos]

It was once there, but its not correct to say with confidence that it was originally placed there, since we do not have that documentation.

[@casianado]

Yeah, that's right. Great videos by the way!

[@LeviUlysses-mp5wg]

Now we gotta know if it’s to scale!

[@richardque4952]

The statue not just represent roman power but also roman civilization.

[@supremereader7614]

Sargon of Akkad at 2:36 😄