"The "Getty Cybele

This article investigates a Roman marble portrait sculpture with divine attributes known as “Portrait Statue of a Woman as Cybele.” Now in the J. Paul Getty Museum, the portrait has been interpreted by scholars as depicting a priestess of the goddess. Although the figure’s main attributes (lion and turreted crown) are typical of the Phrygian divinity, she also presents elements belonging to other Roman goddesses primarily associated with the feminine virtues of chastity and fertility, such as Ceres (wheat and poppies) and Fortuna (cornucopia and rudder). This selected assortment of attributes indicates that the woman for whom this portrait was commissioned was interested not necessarily in assimilating herself to a particular divinity but rather in presenting herself as the embodiment of the principal virtues of a respectable Roman matron. Cut in the sculpture’s back is a rectangular cavity large enough to contain a receptacle with the cremated remains of the individual for whom this statue was made. The analysis of the cavity, portrait head, and divine attributes emphasizing the patron’s feminine qualities suggests a funerary use of the statue. This study contributes to a better understanding of funerary customs in the early Roman empire

Art · Art history · Divinity · Portrait · Receptacle · Sculpture · Statue · Theology · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classical Antiquity Studies · Engineering · Philosophy

• Aedicula Tombs and Statues in Rome

  Crispin Corrado, Alberto Prieto et al.•American Journal of Archaeology•2023

  Añadir item

• The Mask of Socrates

  Paul Zanker, Alan Shapiro•Mask of Socrates•1995

  Añadir item

• Roman circuses

  John H Humphrey•Roman circuses•1986

  Añadir item

• The Roman Goddess Ceres

  Barbette Stanley Spaeth•Roman Goddess Ceres•1995

  Añadir item

• Personal Patronage under the Early Empire

  Open Access•Richard P Saller, Richard Saller•Personal Patronage under the…•1982

  Añadir item

• Coinage, Roman Republic

  Open Access•David Β Hollander, David B Hollander•The Encyclopedia of Ancient History•2012

  Añadir item

• Portraits of Livia

  Sheila Dillon, Elizabeth Bartman•The Classical World•1999

  Añadir item

• The Roman Nude

  Christopher H Hallett•ROMAN NUDE: HEROIC PORTRAIT…•2005

  Añadir item

• The Portraiture of Gaius and Lucius Caesar

  Richard Brilliant, John Pollini•The Classical World•1990

  Añadir item

• Diva Drusilla Panthea and the Sisters of Caligula

  Susan Wood•American Journal of Archaeology•1995

  Añadir item

• Alcestis on Roman Sarcophagi

  Susan Wood•American Journal of Archaeology•1978

  Añadir item

• Some Ancient Portraits

  Karl Lehmann-Hartleben•American Journal of Archaeology•1942

  Añadir item