Messalina holding Britannicus
unknown (Ancient Roman)
Download7A3-R-L-LV-A02_cp.jpg (338.0Kb)
Date
45Description
Detail, upper half, Britannicus reaching towards his mother; This double portrait represents Messalina, wife of the emperor Claudius (41-54 CE), with her young son Britannicus. Messalina was notorious for her wantonness and ascendancy over her husband; here, she is portrayed as a respectable Roman matron, in a work comparing her directly with a Greek goddess: the mother and child image was inspired by a famous sculptural group of Eirene and Ploutos (Peace and Wealth), created by the Greek sculptor Kephisodotos during the fourth century BCE. Source: Louvre Museum [website]; http://www.louvre.fr/ (accessed 4/29/2013)
Type of Work
sculpture (visual work)Subject
portrait, rulers and leaders, Roman Empire, Julio-Claudian period, Imperial (Roman)
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only