Dr. Helen Ackers
Wolfson College, Oxford University

The purpose of this talk will be to present some of the findings from my doctorate research on Roman women’s portrait busts of the third century AD. The commemorative tradition of the free-standing, Roman portrait bust and the durability of this format, which could be displayed and utillised in a large range of different contexts, made this an important portrait genre for women.

At a time when portraits, especially in public spaces, were gradually declining the bust format retained its high-status associations and continued to function as a vessel for cosmopolitan fashions and ideals around empire. This consequently forms a discrete historical category through which to trace developments in third-century women’s portraiture.

In this talk I will concentrate on the wider influence of the ‘bust format’ across empire and the adaption of this to suit regional cultures and contexts. The primary focus of this discussion will be a number of case-studies from the Greek East and Asia and evidence for the reception and response of the bust format in these areas. I will consider how display context affected bust format choice and the relationship of this ‘metropolitan’ format to alternative local relief bust traditions.

Der vil være en lille reception efter foredraget i museets foyer. Alle er velkomne

NB: Kom venligst til tiden, da Antikmuseets døre lukkes præcist.

Palmyra Portræt Projektets
Forelæsningsrække
Forår 2016

Palmyra Portræt Projektet er finansieret af Carlsbergfondet og Aarhus Universitet