Following Roman models; early 20th century.

Following Roman models; early 20th century.
"Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius".
Polychrome terracotta.
Measurements: 87 x 67 x 30 cm (x2).
These two busts in polychrome terracotta, made following models of Roman imperial sculpture, particularly the portraits of the emperor Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, are fully inscribed in the tradition of the neoclassical taste spread during the cultural phenomenon of the Grand Tour. In this context, these pieces not only function as exercises in formal imitation of Antiquity, but also as objects of visual erudition intended to evoke the ideals of virtue, power and wisdom associated with the classical world.
From the stylistic point of view, the busts stand out for their careful fidelity to the Roman typology: idealized but individualized faces, densely worked hair and a sober composition that refers to imperial dignity. The treatment of the modeling, although in terracotta, seeks to reproduce the monumentality of the marble, reinforced here by the polychrome, which gives a realistic and almost pictorial dimension to the sculptural surface. This chromatic resource, far from being anecdotal, underlines the interest of the period in recovering the original vivacity of ancient sculpture, today erroneously associated with the whiteness of marble.
In terms of technical quality, the pieces show a high degree of skill in the modeling and application of polychromy, with special attention to the nuances of the face and the richness of the textures of the hair and clothing. This combination of formal precision and material sensitivity places the busts within a cultured production, intended both for aesthetic delight and for the formation of the taste of the Grand Tour travelers, who sought in these works a direct connection with imperial Rome.
The value of these sculptures lies, therefore, not only in their artistic quality, but also in their cultural function: they are objects for the transmission of knowledge and prestige, conceived as tangible testimony to the classical ideal. In their dialogue with the models of Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, they embody the neoclassical aspiration to recover a moralized antiquity, where the image of power is associated with reason, serenity and permanence.