Spanish Artist Recreates Famous Roman Emperors Through His Realistic Sculptures
What’s the first thought that comes to mind when you think about Rome? Perhaps it’s the iconic ancient Roman gladiatorial arena – the Colosseum, or an excavated heart of the Roman Empire also known as Roman Forum, which was the center of day-to-day life in Rome many centuries ago. And although Rome has all the right to boast about its architectural heritage, today’s topic is not about that.
A young Spanish sculptor and the person behind the Cesares de Roma project took it upon himself to commemorate three notorious Roman emperors – Caesar, Augustus, and Nero – by sculpting hyperrealistic bust sculptures for each of them.
The project was born out of necessity to spread classic Roman history from a more human and modern perspective. Roman rulers’ facial reconstruction who died two thousand years ago is not a small feat. Exhaustive research of numismatics, sculptures, and reliefs play a fundamental role in bringing these historical people back to life in our time.
“Césares de Roma aims to be a didactic reference in terms of new ways of spreading classical culture based on emotional learning. Julio Caesar will be the starting character of this unique exhibition in the world, which will teleport the visitor to classical Rome [as it progresses] from the final stages of the Roman Republic to the decline of the Julio-Claudia dynasty.”
So scroll down and take a look at how the artist breathes new life into ancient Rome’s rulers via realistic art. And while you’re at it, why not refresh your knowledge of historical facts and theories regarding the subjects of these beautiful sculptures?
More info: cesaresderoma.com | Facebook
Julio Caesar was the last Roman Dictator
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Julius Caesar was a Roman politician, a celebrated military general, historian and dictator who played a paramount role in the history of the Greco-Roman world. Even those who know very little about Caesar as a historic personality recognize his family name, which commands a certain degree of respect.
One of the most significant roles Caesar played in history was that of contributing to events that inevitably led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.
Image credits: Césares de Roma
On 15th March 44 BC (Ides of March), Julius Caesar was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy by many Roman senators. The physician, Antistius, who attended to Caesar’s remains determined that although he was stabbed many times (23 to be exact), only one of the wounds was fatal – the second one to his chest. Caesar’s death also marked the end of the Roman Republic – a consequence that conspirators of the assassination did not anticipate.
One of the more interesting facts about Caesar is that during his lifetime (and shortly before the assassination) he had the month of Quintilis renamed as July in his honor.
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Octavian Augustus was the first Roman emperor
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Augustus (also known as Octavian) was the first emperor of ancient Rome. He rose to power after the assassination of his great-uncle and adoptive father – Julius Caesar, who in his will named Augustus as his adopted son and heir. Augustus controlled Imperial Rome from 27 BC until his death in AD 14 (aged 75), and his reign was dubbed ‘Pax Romana’ – a term that marked an era of relative peace.
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Augustus is regarded as one of the greatest administrative geniuses of history. He reorganized every field of Roman life throughout the whole empire and transformed the crumbling republic into a new, monarchic regime based on easy communications and flourishing trade.
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Much like his predecesor had a month’s name changed in his honor, so did Augustus. In 8 BC, a month that was originally named Sextilis was renamed as August. Sextilis was renamed to honor Augustus because several of the most significant events in his rise to power, culminating in the fall of Alexandria, fell in that month.
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Nero, the emperor who was famous for his cruelty
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Nero (also called Nero Claudius) was the fifth Roman emperor, whose rule is usually associated with tyranny and extravagance. He was an emperor who, if left alone and uncontrolled, would often pursue his own tastes and pleasures.
Nero saw that he could do what he liked without fear of censure and retribution, that was how his inordinate artistic pretensions began. Not only did he think himself to be a poet, charioteer and lyre player, he also began giving public performances, taking the roles of anything from pregnant women to executed slaves. To the general populace, these antics looked liked serious breaches of civic dignity and decorum.
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Although it is not confirmed, Emperor Nero is believed to be the culprit of the Great Fire of Rome that caused widespread devastation in the city on 18th July, 64 AD. During the fire, the emperor was at his villa at Antium 35 miles (56km) away from Rome, however, which meant that he could not be held accountable for the fire that ravaged the city.
Nonetheless, Nero used the destruction caused by the fire as an opportunity to have the city reconstructed in the Greek style and build a palace that would have covered a third of Rome, if only it were finished.
Image credits: Césares de Roma
According to Tacitus and Suetonius, Nero also tried to shift responsibility for the fire to the Christians (who at the time were widely believed to engage in many depraved practices), and that led to their ruthless persecution. That in itself earned Nero the new alias of Antichrist in the early Christian tradition.
Ultimately, with Nero’s death came the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty rule which lasted for almost 100 years.
Image credits: Césares de Roma
Source of information about ancient Rome’s rulers: Britannica.com
337Kviews
Share on Facebook
Well, id say Augustus and Caeser look pretty normal, but Nero just LOOKS like a bully
Honestly, if I looked like Nero I'd be a miserable POS too.
Load More Replies...
Everyone in Rome was either blond(ish) or a red head? With blue eyes? Odd.
Forget the stereotypes, I'm sicilian and half my family is blue eyed blondes
Load More Replies...
Ok, respect to the work. But the Romans were a southern European race and surely the skin colouring should be closer to modern Italian/Spanish/Greek? Generally more olive skinned and brown eyed.
Not necessarily. Current looks of people in those countries probably don't have much to do with the average physical appearance of past times. Besides, elites don't always look like their average subjects. And there are some historical accounts of the looks of some emperors.
Load More Replies...
I want to see Livia, that girl was a kingmaker. Plutarch's Lives of the Caesars is great reading.
If you haven't seen the 1976 TV mini-series I Claudius, I highly recommend it. Sian Phillips as Livia was awesome. Other notable performances, Derek Jacobi as Claudius, John Hurt as Caligula, Patrick Stewart as Sejanus.
Load More Replies...
Did anyone else get a certain prez in mind? "Nero used the destruction caused by the fire as an opportunity to (...) build a palace that would have covered a third of Rome, if only it were finished."
Mark Zuckerberg looks so much like Octavian—the second one!!! 🤣 📱
Statues or images made for "sponsors" are usually flattering, so ... hmmm... ;)
This is quite uncanny - incredible to think that much of the ancient world was ruled by people that we would think of as kids today. Also, incredible to think that I used to pay 50 quid at Vidal Sassoon's to have a haircut very similar to Octavian's --- when I still had hair.
Romans = Indo-Europeans = Arians = blondes with blue eyes________________________________________________ http://www.theapricity.com/earlson/history/emperors.htm ________________ Of the 18 Emperors from Augustus to Commodus: 9 had blond or red hair; 5 had grey or white hair; 3 had no recorded hair colour, and just 1 (Hadrian), was referred to as dark-haired. Of the 18 Emperors from Augustus to Commodus: 9 had blue or grey eyes; 2 had "wine-coloured eyes" (whatever that may mean), and 7 had no recorded eye colour..
Load More Replies...
Am I the only one who thinks Nero somewhat looks like Ramsey Bolton from GoT?
Whoa. Julius Caesar strongly resembled my late Uncle... wait for it, Julius. Seriously.
I wonder why he thought Nero was a redhead and Ceasar and Augustus had brown hair? I know many of the modern Romans/Italians have dark hair and eyes, and in their eras they had a very cosmopolitan population. It may have been in historical writings what they looked like, I've not read any descriptions as it isn't usually something covered in basic history courses. The only description I can call to mind is Shakespeare's.
A really good idea and one that should have been thought of a long time ago. I agree that it's unlikely they would have blue eyes as this is a later mutation due to mixing of people from different places. The same with blonde hair.
No, blue eyes came a lot earlier than the roman empire. Thousands and thousands of years earlier. As with the blond hair.
Load More Replies... Well, id say Augustus and Caeser look pretty normal, but Nero just LOOKS like a bully
Honestly, if I looked like Nero I'd be a miserable POS too.
Load More Replies... Everyone in Rome was either blond(ish) or a red head? With blue eyes? Odd.
Forget the stereotypes, I'm sicilian and half my family is blue eyed blondes
Load More Replies... Ok, respect to the work. But the Romans were a southern European race and surely the skin colouring should be closer to modern Italian/Spanish/Greek? Generally more olive skinned and brown eyed.
Not necessarily. Current looks of people in those countries probably don't have much to do with the average physical appearance of past times. Besides, elites don't always look like their average subjects. And there are some historical accounts of the looks of some emperors.
Load More Replies... I want to see Livia, that girl was a kingmaker. Plutarch's Lives of the Caesars is great reading.
If you haven't seen the 1976 TV mini-series I Claudius, I highly recommend it. Sian Phillips as Livia was awesome. Other notable performances, Derek Jacobi as Claudius, John Hurt as Caligula, Patrick Stewart as Sejanus.
Load More Replies... Did anyone else get a certain prez in mind? "Nero used the destruction caused by the fire as an opportunity to (...) build a palace that would have covered a third of Rome, if only it were finished."
Mark Zuckerberg looks so much like Octavian—the second one!!! 🤣 📱
Statues or images made for "sponsors" are usually flattering, so ... hmmm... ;)
This is quite uncanny - incredible to think that much of the ancient world was ruled by people that we would think of as kids today. Also, incredible to think that I used to pay 50 quid at Vidal Sassoon's to have a haircut very similar to Octavian's --- when I still had hair.
Romans = Indo-Europeans = Arians = blondes with blue eyes________________________________________________ http://www.theapricity.com/earlson/history/emperors.htm ________________ Of the 18 Emperors from Augustus to Commodus: 9 had blond or red hair; 5 had grey or white hair; 3 had no recorded hair colour, and just 1 (Hadrian), was referred to as dark-haired. Of the 18 Emperors from Augustus to Commodus: 9 had blue or grey eyes; 2 had "wine-coloured eyes" (whatever that may mean), and 7 had no recorded eye colour..
Load More Replies... Am I the only one who thinks Nero somewhat looks like Ramsey Bolton from GoT?
Whoa. Julius Caesar strongly resembled my late Uncle... wait for it, Julius. Seriously.
I wonder why he thought Nero was a redhead and Ceasar and Augustus had brown hair? I know many of the modern Romans/Italians have dark hair and eyes, and in their eras they had a very cosmopolitan population. It may have been in historical writings what they looked like, I've not read any descriptions as it isn't usually something covered in basic history courses. The only description I can call to mind is Shakespeare's.
A really good idea and one that should have been thought of a long time ago. I agree that it's unlikely they would have blue eyes as this is a later mutation due to mixing of people from different places. The same with blonde hair.
No, blue eyes came a lot earlier than the roman empire. Thousands and thousands of years earlier. As with the blond hair.
Load More Replies...
338
86