Caracalla and Commodus

In this blog post I am going to be comparing and contrasting the bust of Commodus as Hercules (c. 191-92 CE) and the portrait head of Caracalla (c. 217-230). 

The distinction of these two sculptures is quite large. The artist depicting Commodus portrays a gentle but commanding ruler. His face seems gentle, his face is not hardened but remains soft as if he is calm. 

The portrait head of Caracalla on the other hand is depicted as incredibly stern. The natural lines that are created when a person frowns is carved perfectly, showing his anger. His large brow bones protrude over his eyes giving him a look of aggression. 

Although Commodus has a much gentler facial expression the details of the sculpture allude to his power and strength. He is depicted with a dead animal wrapped around his shoulders with the head of the lion atop his own. This shows his ability to hunt which meant he could conquer chaotic nature. The depiction of rulers conquering animals has been continuously used in art and used as propaganda to demonstrate the power of the ruler. The sculpture of Commodus as Hercules is covered in pieces that are of a propagandistic nature. The lion also alludes to Hercules and his personal accomplishments. The fruit he is holding in his hand also alludes to Hercules which gives the idea that Commodus is not unlike Hercules and therefore should be respected as him. The use of details that hint to Hercules could be understood among the audience of this time period easily even if they were illiterate. 

The portrait head of Caracalla does not use objects of propaganda as Commodus did. The artist left his sculpture incredibly simple in that way but amazingly detailed in the realism of Caracalla's features. The bust must have been idealized but it is obvious who is being depicted which meant that the viewers of this time would instantly be connected to the sculpture. There is immense amount of detail in the hair on his face; the hair is coming in slightly in his beard and his mustache is a little overgrown. The dimple in his chin might be a detail alluding to Caracalla as well. This sculpture seems much more serious than Commodus' because of the immense amount of attention to detail and the lacking of pieces to distract the viewer. Caracalla is in his pure state and appears incredibly powerful. 

It is made clear in both of these sculptures that the ruler wanted to be taken seriously and be seen as important and commanding. The busts used different techniques in order to get these ideas across, and Caracalla could easily be viewed as being more intense. Despite this, I feel as if both wanted to be respected and seen as powerful.