Emperor Severus and His Family, 200 C.E.

Chapter 6: The Creations of the Roman Empire (44 B.C.E. - 284 C.E.)

"This portrait of the emperor Septimius Severus; his wife Julia Domna; and their sons, Caracalia (on the right) and Geta (with his face obliterated), was painted in Egypt about 200 C.E. The males hold scepters, symbolic of rule, but all four family members wear bejeweled crows fit for royalty. Severus arranged to marry Julia without ever meeting her because her horoscope predicted she would become queen, and she served as her husband's valued adviser. They hoped their sons would share rule, but when Severus died in 211 C.E. Caracalla murdered Geta so that he could rule alone. Why do you think the portrait's owner rubbed out Geta's face?" - Pg. 203

The realism of this piece, portrays the amount of research Roman artist had placed on the studying the human form. This piece contains more naturalism than was found in most art before the Roman time period. In the Greek time period, there was a semi realism present in artwork, but there was also a level of fiction in them. Sculptures contained amounts of muscle that would be unrealistic for certain body types, they also elongated limbs to make the sculpture more attractive. In this painting, one can tell that Septimus Severus is older, because of the gray and silver present in his hair and beard. Like the woman present in the Etruscan art piece of the Leopards tomb, Severus's wife is pale, whilst he is tan in comparison. This shows social stature, because his wife was able to perform duties away from the harsh rays of the sun. Most slaves, and servants would not have had this privilege, because they were expected to do things like raise crops, and tend to livestock.

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