The emergence of Augustus and his restoration of the Roman Republic prompted innovations in public portraiture. Though statue portraits were common in the Roman Republic, those depicting females were incredibly rare. Under Augustus, women's portraiture found a more welcome place in public statuary. In the context of the plans for restoring the Republic, this dramatic break from tradition suggests propagandistic motivation. Propagandistic imagery flooded the empire in an attempt to assist the emperor in his ambitious reform goals. Many scholars believe, however, it was challenging to find fitting visual accompaniment for the social and cultural portion of those reforms. The core of this study focuses on the sculptural portraits of women that arose during this period of reformation, and sheds light on how they were used by Augustus and the Senate as visual expressions of their cultural renewal program. This thesis examines the messages hidden within the formal style, iconography and details of portraiture of mortal Roman women. By exploring the various ways these new art works were used, such as demonstration, of normative behavior, display of proper virtue and ideals, and promotion of the marital and procreation legislation, a more comprehensive analysis of the image of the Roman woman in the age of Augustan restoration is possible.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:honorstheses1990-2015-1792 |
| Date | 01 January 2008 |
| Creators | Jordan, Stephanie Ann |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | HIM 1990-2015 |
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