Emperor Constantine I And The Colossus Of Constantine

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The head of Emperor Constantine was created between 337 and 340 during the early Byzantine period. It has an overall dimension of 27 x 17.5 x 18.8 cm, which makes it a life-sized head sculpture. According to historians, “Constantine won the decisive battle over the larger army of Maxentius through the miraculous intervention of the Christian God” (Snyder,2006, p.17). The marble sculpture represents the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine the Great. Marble is more expensive than quartz and granite. Also, it’s heavy and dense material makes it difficult for transportation. We can automatically conclude that this sculpture symbolizes wealth and status. Constantine is known for using art to reinforce his power and authority throughout the Roman Empire and early Byzantine period. For this reason, Constantine associated his glory and victories with past Roman emperors such as Trajan and Augustus.
The use of political propaganda in this artwork is strongly significant. The imperial crown …show more content…

The eyes completely avoid contact with the viewer, creating a sense of ambiguity and power. Many believe that Constantine is staring at the Christian God, therefore, showing his faith and acknowledging God as his protector. The concept of the eyes is particularly symbolic when speaking about Christianity because Jesus believed that light and eyes were the windows to the soul. It also represents the style characterized by Byzantine art accurately due to it’s intense religious theme and expression. In addition, Constantine played a significant role in decriminalizing Christianity during the Edict of Milan in 313. He allowed Christians to practice the religion overtly without any persecution. Thus, we can conclude that the raised eyes portrayed in the artwork are an indication of divine

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