The so-called Marius and the so-called Sulla - TORVITAS ET VERITAS

[Joe Geranio]

What say you ? On the so-so's?

The so-called Marius and the so-called Sulla PHOTO 1  PHOTOS EGISTO SANI

The bust in the foreground depicts the consul - general Gaius Marius
(157 - 86 BC); behind him, his contender Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix
(c. 138 BC – 78 BC).
These two portraits are usually mentioned together. They still bear
today the illustrations names that were bestowed upon them long ago,
although no one any longer believe they depict these great political
figures of the late Roman Republic. A convincing identification of the
depicted persons has not hitherto been made.
The similarity of the heads can be seen in the composition, modeling
and three-dimensional effect of the face, as well as in the
proportions: the width of the mouth and eyes and the distance from the
root of the noise to the chin are exactly he same.
The portraits, with they life-like turn of the heads and their dramatic
facial expressions, recall Hellenistic images.
(from C.H. Beck’s book, Glyptothek, Munich)

Roman marble portrait
End of the 1st cent. BC
Munich, Glyptothek

PHOTO 2

The so-called Marius

The bust of the consul - general Gaius Marius (157 - 86 BC); it still
bears today the illustrations name that were bestowed upon them long
ago, although a convincing identification of the depicted person has
not hitherto been made.
The portrait, with its life-like turn of the head and its dramatic
facial expression, recalls Hellenistic images.
(from C.H. Beck’s book, Glyptothek, Munich)

Roman marble portrait
End of the 1st cent. BC
Munich, Glyptothek

PHOTO 3

The so-called Marius

The bust of the consul - general Gaius Marius (157 - 86 BC); it still
bears today the illustrations name that were bestowed upon them long
ago, although a convincing identification of the depicted person has
not hitherto been made.
The portrait, with its life-like turn of the head and its dramatic
facial expression, recalls Hellenistic images.
(from C.H. Beck’s book, Glyptothek, Munich)

Roman marble portrait
End of the 1st cent. BC
Munich, Glyptothek

PHOTO 4

The so-called Sulla

The bust of the consul - general Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix Felix (c.
138 BC – 78 BC); it still bears today the illustrations name that were
bestowed upon them long ago, although a convincing identification of
the depicted person has not hitherto been made.
The portrait, with its life-like turn of the head and its dramatic
facial expression, recalls Hellenistic images.
(from C.H. Beck’s book, Glyptothek, Munich)

Roman marble portrait
End of the 1st cent. BC
Munich, Glyptothek

PHOTO 5

The so-called Sulla

The bust of the consul - general Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix Felix (c.
138 BC – 78 BC); it still bears today the illustrations name that were
bestowed upon them long ago, although a convincing identification of
the depicted person has not hitherto been made.
The portrait, with its life-like turn of the head and its dramatic
facial expression, recalls Hellenistic images.
(from C.H. Beck’s book, Glyptothek, Munich)

Roman marble portrait
End of the 1st cent. BC
Munich, Glyptothek

Joe Geranio
JCIA