Twelve Caesars

August 1, 2021

Images of Roman emperors have been emblems for centuries, even as they change in meaning and medium throughout time, from sculptures to coins to tapestries to paintings. Classicist Beard (Univ. of Cambridge; SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome) argues, with characteristic incisive prose and wit, that we can learn much about an era from its images of the central "Twelve Caesars" and the way they were used and understood at that time (despite disagreement on that canon of caesars). She also argues that in spite of the evolution of the Twelve Caesars in image and concept, some aspects of the narrative never changed. Beard explains that wishful thinking and misreadings of Latin abound in establishing the identities and provenances of artworks and antiquities depicting Roman emperors. When the symbolism of a portrait would seem to go against the ideological tenor of its era, Beard cuts through scholarly speculation; she points out that anachronism might result from simple misidentification or the prosaic decorative and acquisitive aspects of collecting imperial images. Assembling a full set of caesars was, and is, a common pursuit of collectors, Beard writes, and for rich and powerful collectors, it was all the better if the portraits tied their owner's legacy to the continuity of Roman power. Extensive illustrations of emperors and their likenesses are featured throughout the book. VERDICT Based on a series of Beard's lectures, this lavishly illustrated volume will be accessible and interesting to a wide variety of readers; a must-read for anyone interested in classics or art history--Margaret Heller, Loyola Univ. Chicago Libs.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2021
The renowned classicist and bestselling author of SPQR (2015) considers Rome's first rulers as they have come down to us in marble, stone, coins, and metals. During the time of the Roman Empire, artists churned out an avalanche of portraits of Rome's emperors, a trend that continued after their deaths, beyond the fall of the empire, and during the centuries following up to the modern age. Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars, which later became one of "the most popular history books of the European Renaissance," contains the only surviving physical descriptions. Many modern historians, however, consider his stories "the gossip of the palace corridors, or even outright fantasy, but...they have become inextricably part of our view of Roman emperors." No statue from ancient times has a label; this is not the case with innumerable Roman coins minted during their reigns, but the tiny heads are little help. Beard points out that beginning in the Renaissance, rulers and wealthy patrons not only collected images of emperors and their consorts--or, more likely, a copy, fake, or image of someone else--but they also began portraying themselves as if they were Roman. A leading scholar as well as a writer of bestsellers, Beard, as always, asks important questions: What did the Caesars look like? Did the artists themselves care? Why did European plutocrats, aristocrats, and monarchs like to see themselves in togas? She leads us through the best available evidence (even if it's not always satisfying) and delivers insightful answers in lucid prose accompanied by dazzling images. Along with a steady stream of commentary on portraits, sculptures, and prints, the author devotes long sections to artistic masterpieces, including tapestries, murals, enormous historical paintings, and Titian's spectacular room of the Caesars (11 of them, not Suetonius' 12), now lost. A lively treatise on Roman art and power, deliciously opinionated and beautifully illustrated.

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