When we walked into the gallery to see the Met Christmas tree, this is the first thing we saw. A collection of marble sculptures from antiquity. But the most stunning piece faced us directly. It is the Marble Portrait Head of the Emperor Constantine I. It is a huge head and dominated the room. It is 37" high, 23"wide, 26"deep and weighs 1100 pounds! The head is from about A.D 325-370. Constantine the Great was the first Christian emperor of Rome and his reign had a profound effect on the subsequent development of the Roman world. By 325 he had succeeded in reunifying the empire. He formed a new capital, named Constantinople after himself. This head was probably part of a over life-sized statue. What a stunning object to suddenly come face to face with.
2 comments:
Another history lesson for us. Thanks for giving us the dimensions his head. Amazing.
Joan
What a great way to add a history lesson in front of the beautiful tree and Nativity scene! The size of the head and the details on the other pieces are impressive. betsey
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