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Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
(Renaissance Europe , Roman Empire )
This is a reduction of the monumental statue on the Capitoline Hill, Rome, dedicated in AD 176- the only equestrian statue from antiquity to have survived. It escaped being melted down for cannon because it was thought to represent Constantine, the first Christian emperor. In the early 1500s, the rider was correctly re-identified as the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161-180), particularly respected by humanists for his philosophical writings on ethics.
Although the first reduction of this important public statue was made in 1465 (for the study of the Florentine patron and collector Piero de' Medici), this one can be dated to after 1564, when the marble base reproduced here (designed by Michelangelo) was put in place.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2007-2008 | Untamed: The Art of Antoine-Louis Barye. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, Palm Beach. |
| 1995 | The Allure of Bronze. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 5/1/1948 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
| 11/1/1958 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 2/11/1974 | Treatment | other |
| 8/24/1977 | Treatment | cleaned; coated; loss compensation |
| 8/24/1977 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 3/30/1981 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 12/17/1987 | Treatment | cleaned; coated; loss compensation |
| 12/17/1987 | Examination | examined for condition |
Geographies
Italy, Rome
(Place of Origin)
Italy, Padua (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 13 9/16 in. (34.5 cm); H with base: 21 in. (53.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.663