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Twelve Caesars
Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern
Series: Bollingen Series
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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,552 ratings, 224 reviews)
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Twelve Caesars
$4499
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
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Description
What does the face of power look like? Who gets commemorated in art and why? And how do we react to statues of politicians we deplore? In this book, against a background of today's 'sculpture wars', Mary Beard tells the story of how for more than two millennia, portraits of the rich, powerful, and famous in the western world have been shaped by the image of Roman emperors, especially the 'Twelve Caesars', from the ruthless Julius Caesar to the fly-torturing Domitian.
Twelve Caesars asks why these murderous autocrats have loomed so large in art from antiquity and the Renaissance to today, when hapless leaders are still caricatured as Neros fiddling while Rome burns.
Beginning with the importance of imperial portraits in Roman politics, this richly illustrated book offers a tour through 2,000 years of art and cultural history, presenting a fresh look at works by artists from Memling and Mantegna to the nineteenth-century American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, as well as by generations of weavers, cabinetmakers, silversmiths, printers, and ceramicists. Rather than a story of a simple repetition of stable, blandly conservative images of imperial men and women, Twelve Caesars is an unexpected tale of changing identities, clueless or deliberate misidentifications, fakes, and often ambivalent representations of authority.
From Beard's reconstruction of Titian's extraordinary lost Room of the Emperors to her reinterpretation of Henry VIII's famous Caesarian tapestries, Twelve Caesars includes fascinating detective work and offers a gripping story of some of the most challenging and disturbing portraits of power ever created.
Published in association with the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
'[A] rich disquisition on the Caesars' visual representation... Twelve Caesars is handsomely illustrated and brightly ringing with Beard's enjoyment and scholarship... Beard shows the joy of classical texts, and how they are the ultimate resource when visual art fails to be comprehensible to us.' - Hermione Eyre, Spectator
Series: Bollingen Series
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Twelve Caesars
What does the face of power look like? Who gets commemorated in art and why? And how do we react to statues of politicians we deplore? In this book, against a background of today's 'sculpture wars', Mary Beard tells the story of how for more than two millennia, portraits of the rich, powerful, and famous in the western world have...Paperback$4499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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What does the face of power look like? Who gets commemorated in art and why? And how do we react to statues of politicians we deplore? In this bookβagainst a background of today's 'sculpture wars'βMary Beard tells the story of how for more than two millennia portraits of the rich, powerful, and famous in the western world have been shaped...Hardback$5499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Mary Beard's Twelve Caesars receives high praise for its exploration of how Roman imperial images have shaped art and culture over two millennia. Critics applaud Beard's engaging writing and insightful analysis, noting the book's rich illustrations and wit. It is lauded as a masterful blend of history and art, offering readers an enlightening journey through the portrayal of power from ancient Rome to modern times.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780691225876
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 12 September 2023
Country: United States
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Illustration: 242 color + 18 b/w illus.
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 235.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 392
About the Author
Mary Beard is one of the world's leading classicists and cultural commentators. A specialist in Roman history and art, she is professor of classics at the University of Cambridge and the author of bestselling and award-winning books, including SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome and Women and Power: A Manifesto. She has also written and presented many television programs, from Civilisations and Meet the Romans to The Shock of the Nude. She lives in Cambridge, England. Twitter @wmarybeard
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