Terracotta Caracalla

£4,500

A large terracotta fragmentary bust of the Roman Emperor Caracalla, Italian, circa 1800 or earlier, on a modern bespoke metal stand. 

Provenance: Private Collection, Anonymous Chateau, Belgium. 

Caracalla, or Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217) was Roman Emperor from 211 to 217 AD. He succeeded his father, Septimius Severus, who died at York in A.D. 211 during campaigns in northern Britain. Caracalla only reigned for six years before his own death near Carrhae, in northern Mesopotamia, while campaigning against the Parthians.

See Fragmentary bronze portrait of the emperor Caracalla | Roman | Mid-Imperial, Severan | The Metropolitan Museum of Art 

SKU: MJGTA0072 Category:

Dimensions: 63cm high, the bust 41cm wide and 28cm deep, the stand 50cm wide and 30cm deep

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Footnote

The Grand Tour of the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries saw many upper class, wealthy and aristocratic gentlemen travel to Italy and Europe, particularly Rome, Venice and Florence, for pleasure, education and inspiration. This afforded them the opportunity to view important classical and Renaissance works of art and architecture.

The term ‘Grand Tour’ was coined by the Catholic priest and travel writer Richard Lassels (circa 1603-68), who used it in his influential guidebook The Voyage of Italy, published in 1670, to describe young lords travelling abroad to learn about art, architecture and antiquity.

Robert Adam wrote of Rome in 1755, ‘Rome is the most glorious place in the universal world. A grandeur and tranquillity reigns in it, everywhere noble and striking remains of antiquity appear in it, which are so many that one who has spent a dozen years in seeing is still surprised with something new…’

Many Grand tourists collected souvenirs in the form of bronze and marble models of sculpture and architecture, and formed collections of Grand Tour objects for their English country houses, most notably Chatsworth House.

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