Andreas Post
Römische Hüftmantelstatuen
Studien zur Kopistentätigkeit um die Zeitenwende
Scriptorium Münster 2004
555 Seiten, 61 Tafeln, 1 CD-ROM
ISBN 3-932610-33-4
This study compares the styles of dress of male portrait statues from the late Roman Republic and the
early Roman Empire. It proves by establishing a series of dress- determined statue categories that since
the reign of the emperor Augustus, statues of the Greek gods and heros of the 5th to 3rd century BC
became the prototypes for representative Roman statues of honoured Roman men both (and primarily) from
the imperial family and distinguished citizens. A characteristic feature of these copies was the
hip-mantle ('Hüftmantel'), an item of dress which was not always present in the originals.
The original statues of the Classical and early Hellenistic periods which are known partly from the
categories of 'original copies' (copies of original statues) and partly from the portrait statues with
the hip-mantles discussed here, depict more than half the gods - above all Zeus, who, in particular, was
associated with the virtues of prinzeps as well as the extraordinary powers which made him worthy of
cult status.
It can be shown that the generals of the late Roman Republic and early Augustan era liked to promote
their public image with standing portrait statues which featured the extensive use of the eclectic late
Hellenistic style of Italy. On these, the hip-mantle draperies and other attributes underlined the
military prowess of their subject or suggested direct associations with Zeus- Jupiter. From the end of
the reign of Augustus there appeared copies taken from a stock variety of Classical and Hellenistic
models. The accurate rendering of these copies was subject to alterations in the torso or standing
position to reflect contemporary taste in the quality of their main view, location, or position in a
group or gallery.
One reason among others for 'inauthentic' copies was the obvious use of so-calles 'pattern models' or
books of such models. This helps to explain the remarkably wide spectrum of draperies and contributes to
the establishment of a chronology of their use on hip-mantle statues. Such a chronology is more accurate
than the often vague definitions of style which do not account for the great differences in modelling
within the techniques and traditions of the various centres where these statues were made. In
particular, the publicity which resulted when Caligula and Claudius were depicted in 'heroic costume' in
their lifetimes led to an increased production of portrait statues. Those which have survived to this
day are identifiable by a characteristic series of hip-mantle models.
The theomorphed figures of the Julian and Claudian ruling families embodied the testaments and virtues
of the leading gods, their qualities and virtues, and served as a form of political propaganda. The
differences in hip- mantle draperies on these statues have been shown to reflect the differences in
status of the people portrayed. Of the first rank are those figures which are featured with Zeus-Jupiter
qualities and less those of Jupiter. That is the 'heroic' form. Nudity, which was a sign of the higher
station of the ruler, was essential in conveying its values. This, and the use of wellknown garments
like the hip-mantle, suggested to the public that the ideal status portrayed in such statues was coupled
with the moral values prescribed by Augustean politics.
With the end of the Julian-Claudian dynasty, the main purpose of the hip-mantle - to denote the higher
status and heroic qualities of the person portrayed - lost its spiritual and political basis. Depicting
an individual in a hip-mantle did not necessarily denote royal status when the statue served as a
memorial to, or consecration of the deceased. Rather, it was the circumstances of the installation which
confirmed this. Mere glorification cannot be distinguished from deliberate deification (as in the case
of the Divus-Julius statue) when the inscriptions and background information on the statues have largely
been lost.
Translation: Peter Douglas