Fitz Jenő (szerk.): A Pannonia Konferenciák aktái IV. Bronzes Romains figurés et appliqués et leurs problemes techniques - István Király Múzeum közelményei. A. sorozat 27. A Pannon konferenciák aktái 4. (Székesfehérvár, 1984)
A. N. Zadoks - Josephus Jitta: Roman bronze statuettes: another approach to dating
sculptor Leochares of the 4th century BC; this had been brought to Rome by Augustus who erected it in the temple of Jupiter Tonans, built as a thanksgiving for his safe return from Spain in 19 BC. We know its appearance from a contemporary denarius (BMC 1923, 64—65, Pl. VII, 14—17). Its free and easy stance and svelte forms appealed more both to the conception and the taste of the 2nd century AD than the solemn and stately Jupiter Capitolinus. Therefore the series of statuettes representing Jupiter standing, nude or with a slight drapery, can be dated to the 2nd century AD, and are to be ascribed by stylistic analysis to the subsequent emperors. In one case, however, there exists an objective critérium. A small number of such statuettes—of which I show you here one from the Netherlands (Pl. IV, 1)—has an unusual drapery over his arm —from back to front instead of from front to back—only to be seen in a portrait statue of Macrinus (Pl. IV, 2), thus dating them to the short years of his reign, 217/8 AD (Niemeyer 1968, 112, PI. XLIII, 1; Boucher 1976, 251— 252). Jupiter, however, had no monopoly in the 2nd century. There was also Hercules. His temples belong to the oldest ones in Rome. The Stoic creed had changed him from a kind of “superman” to a moral hero and as such he was especially venerated by the upper class in the early 1st century BC. He was also a popular figure, even a figure of fun, benevolent and loving fun. But he only entered into the imperial pantheon in the reign of Trajan to be especially venerated by Commodus (AD 181/92) who ostentatiously identified himself with the hero-god. I show you two versions, drunk and serious, both statuettes are from the Netherlands (PI. IV. 3—4). Hercules or rather Herakles drunk already appears in the 5th century BC in a tragedy by Euripides describing his boisterous and unmannerly behaviour in the house of Alcestis (Alcestis passim). Hellenistic art with its preference for humorous genre pictures eagerly adopted this motif and after them Roman artists (Zadoks e.a. 1973, 10—11, no 10, but erroneously dated). But naturally it became unseemly when the emperor identified himself with the hero-god so that we have here an early imperial example, whereas the serious Hercules—wearing moreover an princely fillet—can be dated to the reigh of Commodus, the years AD 181—192. Miraculously—and I must confess surprisingly—our theory in this case is confirmed by fact. For the recent excavation of the North Sea port of Velsen in the province Nort Holland has brought to light, a bronze statuette—as yet unpublished—of a Hercules in the first phase of drunkenness, still holding his winecup in his right hand. As this settlement only lasted from AD c. 15 to 55 and as most finds are from the first settlement (AD 15—30), the early date is confirmed.® At Herculaneum, moreover, a large marble statue in the Casa dei Cervi represents Hercules in the same way as the stauette 1 have shown, in our eyes rather surprising for a Hercules Domesticus, protector of the home (Brion 1961, Fig. 91). Even when we take into account that drunkenness for the ancients could mean divine ecstasy, it would be infra dignitatem for an emperor. The recent Velsen find encourages us to believe that our new approach al least enables us to build up a chronological framework which can be filled in by other methods. On this hopeful note I end my brief exposition, eagerly awaiting your judgment. (3) The Drunken Hercules has now been published by S.M.E van lith, Westerheem 23 (1983) 347—350. BIBLIOGRAPHY Babelon—Blanchet 1895 Boucher 1976 Brendel 1935 Brion 1961 Calza—Nash 1959 Coarelli 19752 Kent e.a. 1973 Manfrini 1978 Mattingly 1923 Menzel 1964 Niemeyer 1968 Toynbee 1962 Zadoks 1967 Zadoks 1969 Zadoks 1973 Zadoks 1976 E. Babelon—J. A. Blanchet, Catalogue des bronzes antiques de la Bibliothèque Nationale. Paris. S. Boucher, Recherches sur les bronzes figurés de Gaule pré-romaine et romaine. Rome. 0. Brendel, Novus Mercurius. RM, L. 231-259. M. Brion, Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Glory and the Grief. London. R. Calza—E. Nash, Ostia. Firenze. F. Coarelli, Guida archeologica di Roma. Roma. J. P. C. Kent e.a., Die römische Münze. München. 1. A. Manfrini, Bronzes romains de Suisse. Lausanne. H. Mattingly, Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum I. London. H. Menzel, Römische Bronzen aus Bayern. Augsburg. H. G. Niemeyer, Studien zur statuarischen Darstellung der römischen Kaiser. Berlin. J. M. C. Toynbee, Art in Roman Britain. London. A. N. Zadoks-Josephus Jitta e.a., Roman Bronze Statuettes from the Netherlands, I. Groningen. A. N. Zadoks-Josephus Jitta e.a., Roman Bronze Statuettes from the Netherland, II. Groningen. A. N. Zadoks-Josephus Jitta e.a., The Figured Bronzes (Cat. Museum Nijmegen). Nijmegen. A. N. Zadoks-Josephus Jitta, Some Umbro-Sabellian Bronze Statuettes. Babesch, LI, 96—98. 11
