Marble sculpture group of Venus and Mars with portrait heads
The sculpture probably belonged to a funerary monument and portrays a couple depicted as Mars and Venus. It was inspired by a model created to celebrate the emperor and his wife, which was arranged by joining two well-known statues, the Ares Borghese and the Aphrodite of Capua, from originals of the 5th and 4th centuries BCE.
The figure of Mars alludes to virtus and the military valour of man, while Venus refers to beauty and sensuality. The group's reworked portraits were commissioned by wealthy members of society to celebrate their successful union.
Ostia, near the so-called Basilica Cristiana, ca. 170 CE.
Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome (inv. 108522)
Marble sculpture group of Venus and Mars with portrait heads
The sculpture probably belonged to a funerary monument and portrays a couple depicted as Mars and Venus. It was inspired by a model created to celebrate the emperor and his wife, which was arranged by joining two well-known statues, the Ares Borghese and the Aphrodite of Capua, from originals of the 5th and 4th centuries BCE.
The figure of Mars alludes to virtus and the military valour of man, while Venus refers to beauty and sensuality. The group's reworked portraits were commissioned by wealthy members of society to celebrate their successful union.
Ostia, near the so-called Basilica Cristiana, ca. 170 CE.
Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome (inv. 108522)