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Oceanus



Background:

Oceanus
Oceanus
1st - 2nd centuries A.D. (Empire)
Bronze
The Lillian Z. Turnblad Memorial Fund

Key Ideas
Story
Background

Creation Myth
Roman Empire
Realism
Furnishings
Oceanus

Discussion Questions

Creation Myth
Greek creation myths, and their Roman counterparts, explained the origin, structure, and nature of the world. These mythologies were central to ancient religions, though as time passed they came to be viewed as literature more than anything. Hesiod (HES-ee-ud), the Greek poet-historian, wrote the most detailed account of the Greeks' creation mythology. He presented creation in the form of a genealogical chart. According to Hesiod, the six Titan couples produced the first generation of Greek deities.

The ancient Romans adapted much of the Greeks' mythology, including their notion of creation. In many cases, Roman household gods, practical forces in daily life, took on the fabulous personalities and exciting exploits of the Greek gods.


Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was born in 31 B.C. when Octavian Caesar, later known as Augustus, triumphed after 90 years of civil war. Augustus and his immediate successors in the 1st century A.D. promoted the arts in order to display the grandeur of their empire.

Realism
The general, idealized figures of ancient Greek sculpture, frequently emulated by early Romans, gave way to realistic portraiture in the 1st century A.D. The Romans, who valued the family, recorded the faces and character traits of important family members in realistic portraits. Although this boss is very small, there is evidence of realistic treatment in the face, such as the indications of wrinkles on the forehead and cheeks. Realism is perhaps most evident in the irregular profile of the nose, ending in a rounded form, which would have seemed unattractive. (An ideal nose, sometimes called a Grecian nose, sloped in a straight line from the top of the forehead to its tip.) Roman artists portrayed gods and other mythical beings with similar REALISM and individuality.


Oceanus line art

Line Art Illustration of the Oceanus boss
Full page printable version

Furnishings
Affluent Romans liked to display their wealth in elaborately decorated furnishings. Ornamental pieces, called bosses, adorned the juncture points of tables, stools, and the curving heads and footboards of luxurious bronze and wooden couches. The finest pieces incorporated detailed INLAY work in silver, ivory, and tortoiseshell.

Oceanus
This circular bronze boss depicts the Titan Oceanus. His bearded face projects out from a BACKGROUND of decorative scales. In keeping with the artistic realism of the time, Oceanus is portrayed as a bearded old man, not as a monster or an abstract force of nature. Locks of wavy hair frame his heavy face. His eyes are inlaid silver, and silver and copper inlays highlight his cheeks, nose, and forehead. Two dolphins leap from the top of his head, suggesting the form of a crown and alluding to Oceanus's role as an aquatic ruler. Two fish dive among the locks of his hair near his temples, and two others emerge from his beard.

Key Ideas Story Background Discussion Questions
 
 

 

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