Not on display

Didius Julianus

Relief
ca. 1780 - ca. 1820 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Italy (made)

This is an ivory relief made in ca. 1780-1820. This relief represents the head of the Roman Emperor Didius Julianus, his face turned towards the left. This is one of three pieces that are set onto a later velvet backing in a nineteenth-century wood frame. They all may have formed part of a larger group, now lost. This image of Didius Julianus (r. AD 193) is carved after an antique gem. Julianus was Roman Emperor for only a few weeks during the year 193. He came to the throne after buying it from the Praetorian Guard, who had assassinated his predecessor Pertinax, which all triggered the Roman Civil War of 193–197. Julianus was assassinated by his successor, Septimius Severus.

Object details

Categories
Reliefs
Portraits
Politics
Object type
Relief
TitleDidius Julianus (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved ivory, set onto a later velvet backing in wood frame
Ivory
Carving
Bas-Relief
Brief description
Relief, ivory, head of Didius Julianus, Italian, ca. 1780-1820
Physical description
Carved ivory relief, head of a Roman Emperor. Set (together with two others: Mus. nos. 210 and 211-1874) onto a later velvet backing in a nineteenth-century wood frame.
Dimensions
  • Height: 2.5cm
Object history
Bought for £2 in 1874 from the Webb Collection.
Subjects depicted
Roman Emperor
Didius Julianus
Summary
This is an ivory relief made in ca. 1780-1820. This relief represents the head of the Roman Emperor Didius Julianus, his face turned towards the left. This is one of three pieces that are set onto a later velvet backing in a nineteenth-century wood frame. They all may have formed part of a larger group, now lost. This image of Didius Julianus (r. AD 193) is carved after an antique gem. Julianus was Roman Emperor for only a few weeks during the year 193. He came to the throne after buying it from the Praetorian Guard, who had assassinated his predecessor Pertinax, which all triggered the Roman Civil War of 193–197. Julianus was assassinated by his successor, Septimius Severus.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington, Acquired During the Year 1874, Arranged According to the Dates of Acquisition. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., p. 16
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education, 1927-1929, Part II, p. 107
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 308, p. 312
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
209-1874

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Record createdSeptember 16, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O167128/didius-julianus-relief-unknown/
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