Essential

Statue of Livia

Estatua de Livia Pulse para ampliar Estatua de Livia. Sala 20

Power and religion

This beautiful female statue is dated between the years 14 and 19 and represents Livia Drusilla, wife of Augustus, first Emperor of Rome. This is the loveliest and best preserved of all her effigies in Spain, perhaps because of the soft, idealised features of her serene countenance. She wears a double tunic and a cloak, traditional clothing for the Roman matrons. Salto de línea Livia was recognised as a great personality during her lifetime. She was a paragon of virtue and respect for Roman tradition, and she was immensely popular with the people, playing a prominent role in public affairs as the wife and mother of their imperial princes. However, her influence extended beyond politics and into the religious sphere, especially when she moved for the rapid deification of her husband Augustus, to whom she dedicated a temple and founded a school of priests to serve his cult. Livia herself was a priestess in that cult, and this sculpture depicts her in that capacity.

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