Augusto Rohrich

AUGUSTO ROHRICH (Italy, XIX century).
Copy of the "Augustus Prima Porta" of the Vatican Museums.
Bronze sculpture.
Signed and located: "A.Rohrich, Rome".
Marble base, with rotating mechanism.
Measurements: 50 cm (bronze height); 68 x 34 x 34 cm (base).

Augusto Rohrich was an Italian bronze artist of neoclassical school. He made numerous versions of the great works of Greek and Roman antiquity. The quality of his pieces and the virtuosity with which he resolved the finishes is unquestionable, as demonstrated in this bronze copy of the marble known as "Augustus Prima Porta" preserved in the Vatican Museums. It is a statue of the Emperor Octavian Augustus that was discovered in the villa of Livia in 1863, so its discovery was recent when this version was made. It was also a marble copy of an earlier bronze model.

The sculpture is inspired by Polyclitus' Doriphorus, although it has also been compared to the Roman portrait of the Republican period known as "The Orator". Augustus has been portrayed barefoot, like the ancient Olympian heroes, and a Cupid riding a dolphin accompanies him. Eros here symbolizes his status as a descendant of the goddess Venus through Aeneas. Likewise, the emperor's breastplate has reliefs alluding to various Roman gods, including Mars, the god of war, as well as personifications of the last conquered territories. The emperor's features are depicted with a veristic intent, and yet a certain idealization predominates in his calm and distant face. He adopts a contrapposto that accentuates his serene aspect. The drapery and the perfect anatomical proportions also stand out. All of these symbolisms and refinements are intended to compare the emperor with the attributes of mythological heroes, and even with the Olympian gods.