L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano C l a u d i u s . A m o n g m y favorites is one merely iden- tified as Ritratto Maschile, his large, noble Roman nose, c u r v i n g d o w n w a r d . H i s p o c k - m a r k e d , w r i n k l e d cheeks and penetrating stare are an insight into the soul of what I must interpret to be a disgruntled Roman citi- zen. Not all Romans were content with their lives. Other portraits are deli- c a t e l y c a r v e d b u s t s o f women, the sweet face of the o t h e r w i s e c u n n i n g L i v i a , Augustus' wife, Agrippina M a i o r , d a u g h t e r o f Augustus, Flavia Domitilla, wife of Vespasian, who is represented next to Flavia in h i s i m p o s i n g b u s t . T h e women are striking in their carefully sculpted coifs: the minute details of their ele- gant hairstyles flawlessly carved in the rigid marble defy imagination. Art histo- rians use such realistic detail to date and analyze aspects of Roman life for women. I n a d d i t i o n t o R o m a n realism, there are busts of those idealized and some- times vengeful divinities: Artemis of Ephesus, in her Roman iteration as mother g o d d e s s , a s e n s u o u s Aphrodite and Eros, the vul- gar and mischievous Satiro (satyr), the Greek mother g o d d e s s o f t h e h e a r t h , Hestia, and Apollo. There are idealized images of the m a l e b o d y , t h e R o m a n Atleta and the Statua Virile. Though carved from rigid marble, the figures are not static. There is also an art- fully restored and recon - structed marble of two hero- ic warriors, swords drawn a n d a b o u t t o f i g h t t o t h e death. From Homer's The Odyssey, there is Ulysses clinging to the underside of a r a m ( S t a t u a d i U l i s s e S o t t o i l M o n t o n e ) a s h e m a k e s h i s d a r i n g e s c a p e f r o m t h e i r e o f t h e a n g r y and wounded Polyphemus. I could not help but think of t h e w h i t e s t o n e s o n t h e north coast of Sicily that, legend tells us, an enraged Polyphemus hurled at the fleeing Ulysses and his men. The various sarcophagi in the show are decorated with r e l i e f s : t h e l a b o r s o f Hercules and another, the t r i u m p h o f D i o n y s u s i n I n d i a . R o m a n s l i k e d t o think that these heroes and their heroic exploits defined t h e i r e a r t h l y l i v e s b e f o r e they took their final journey into the afterlife. T h e r e a r e i m a g e s f r o m domestic life in the portraits of anonymous young boys and girls, of a husband and wife, and of a goat with an ornately flowing goatee and elegantly twisted baroque h o r n s . M i s s i n g f r o m t h e original, the head was pur- portedly added in the seven- t e e n t h c e n t u r y b y G i a n Lorenzo Bernini. There is a detailed relief of a Roman macelleria with slaughtered fowl and pigs hanging from hooks, awaiting their dress- ing by the macellaio. The Roman upper class ate well. F r o m e m p e r o r s a n d wives to gods and goddess- es, from heroic warriors to realistic images of people and domestic scenes, the exhibit is a fascinating rep- resentation of Roman life. T h e c u r a t o r s o f t h i s f i r s t limited release of the mar- bles must be commended for their selection of sculp- tures that provide a reveal- ing overview of Roman life, their religion, their everyday lives, and redoubtable cre- ativity. If there are collections that define the patrimony of Italian culture, the Torlonia c o l l e c t i o n h a s t o r a n k among the most complete and thorough, challenging t h o s e i n t h e V a t i c a n , Palazzo Maximus, and the Campidoglio. But my com- parison to other museums does not diminish any other collection in Italy. It only p o i n t s t o t h e d e g r e e t o which the Torlonia Marbles displayed at Villa Caffarelli, r e p r e s e n t i n g l i t t l e m o r e than ten percent of the total collection, have enriched Italy's ever-growing cultural and artistic patrimony. In the final analysis, the collec- tion is an extraordinary gift to the world of art. We can only wait with anticipation to see the more than five hundred remaining marbles still undergoing restoration. K e n S c a m b r a y ' s m o s t r e c e n t b o o k i s I t a l i a n I m m i g r a t i o n i n t h e American West: 1870-1940. From left, clockwise: bronze statue of Germanicus, 1st century AD; a detail of the sarcophagus of centurion Lucius Pullius Peregrinus, 3rd century AD; portrait of Emperor Caracalla; the Vincenzo Giustiniani collection (Fondazione Torlonia/Electa/Bulgari. Ph. Oliver Astrologo) Continued from page 26 LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS The exhibit takes the visitor from the realism of Roman portraits to the images of Roman divinities. There are captivating marbles of goddesses, from Aphrodite and Eros to the leering faces of lascivious satyrs. There are also beautifully sculpted and idealized images of athletes and warriors

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