Review article

The statue of “Empress“ from Zadar

Kornelija A. Giunio ; Arheološki muzej Zadar, Zadar, Hrvatska

Abstract

In the new permanent exhibition of the Antiquity of the Zadar Archaeological Museum, as a specially selected exhibition item, there is a fragment of a monumental statue of a woman, most probably made of marble of Greek origin. The statue is cut below the chest line and lacks the head, both arms, legs and the base. The statue was discovered in Zadar in 1911 when digging the foundation for the new “Radium” cinema building and was do­nated to the Museum. The statue is dressed in clothing character­istic of Roman citizens from more prominent and wealthy social classes. It is multilayered clothing consisting of a sleeved tunic, a stola and a palla. The statue had initially been of supernatural size. The head (potentially a portrait) and the hands with possible attributes are missing, which are the elements that would con­tribute to the interpretation of the statue. It is a credible assump­tion that the statue represents one of the Roman Empresses or an Empress in the form of a Roman goddess or priestess, and that was an Empress of the Julian-Claudian Dynasty (27 BC-68 AD). The stylistic and art characteristics of the sculpture, in particu­lar the drapery of clothing, its folds, the posture and position of the statue (body counter posture and a bent knee) undoubtedly point to its dating to the late Tiberius’ (ruled from 14 to 37 AD) and Claudius’ period (ruled from 41 AD to 54 AD).

Keywords

statue, empress Zadar (Iader); imperial cult

Hrčak ID:

237155

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/237155

Publication date:

21.4.2020.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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