Existing comment:
Bust of Emperor Hadrian
Head, 1240; Bust, ca. 1600; Socle and Base, ca. 1850
Head: court workshop of Emperor Frederick II
The powerful often had art that had survived from past empires incorporated into new works. The head of this bust was carved in the court workshop of Emperor Frederick II in 1240. Around 1600, the piece was ingeniously fitted with this glittering gold bust, also made in a Sicilian workshop. By having antique objects, particularly those in the likeness of kings and emperors past, placed in exquisite mounts, contemporary rulers connected themselves with a long tradition of authority and enhanced their legitimacy as sovereigns. |