And it is a complete accident that, the statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius – an outstanding thinker and an exceptional leader – was not similarly done away with. This is because Christians saw in him the figure of Constantine the Great – the first Christian emperor. The second time the statue was able to escape destruction was after eighteen centuries had passed. In 1979 a bomb was planted near the Roman city hall, and its explosion slightly damaged the monument. During restoration works it turned out that the bronze out of which the statue was made requires conservation. In order to protect the statue from further erosion, it was transferred to the nearby Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini), where it can be admired in a room that was specially prepared for it. An accurate copy of the statue was placed on Capitoline Hill and it continues to stand there until this very day.

The Statue of Marcus Aurelius (the one in the museum) was made out of gilded bronze between the years 176 and 180. It was a symbol of gratitude of the Roman Senate for a leader, who stopped tribes of Germans invading Rome from the north as well as the Parthians who were a threat from the south. However, that was not all. It was also an expression of reverence for a sensible man, who had a deep sense of duty, was convinced of the value of service to the empire and its inhabitants, an emperor, who valued the advice of the senators, and at the same time a philanthropist, a founder of schools, orphanages and hospitals for the Roman populace. Marcus Aurelius is remembered in history as a person worthy of imitation and admiration, but also as a “philosopher on the throne”, the author of Meditations – philosophical reflections on the subject of human nature.

We do not know where the monument was initially placed – either on Forum Romanum or on the present-day Piazza Colonna, the former Field of Mars, where a column (Column of Marcus Aurelius) dedicated to the emperor as well as a temple were later built.

In ancient Rome equestrian statues were reserved for the emperor or members of his family and were created for representative purposes. They were an expression of honor for their military achievements. However, the Capitoline statue shows the emperor not in the representative dress of a triumphant leader, but rather dressed in a tunic with a military cloak upon his shoulders. He has civilian’s boots (calcei senatori) on his feet, rather than those for riding a horse. Such elements, similarly to the gently outstretched hand in a gesture of greeting, suggest that the principal idea of the designer of the statue was the will to show not a triumphant emperor, but a guarantor of imperial order and harmony – an emperor defender and the supporter of the military and political stability of the state. This is also underlined by the calm posture of his horse, who voluntarily submits to the rider. At his feet there was probably a figure of a defeated barbarian. The emperor himself radiates calmness, stateliness and gentleness. Let us also not forget the beard – as it too carries with it a certain message. It was a sort of a sign of his membership in a group of Stoics, with whose philosophy and attitude towards life the emperor identified. At that time it was grown not only to look like Greek philosophers but also to emphasize the lack of vanity and a oblivious attitude towards the cosmetic procedures which were simply a waste of time.

In the VIII century the monument (let us recall: thought to be the statue of Constantine the Great), appeared in the area of the papal residence on the Lateran, while in 1538 it was moved at the order of Pope Paul III and to the discontent of Michelangelo to its present-day location (Piazza del Campidoglio). The former had wanted in this way to decorate the square created at his initiative, the latter saw it as an element disturbing the urban arrangements of which he was the author. However, the pope remained unmoved, and Michelangelo had to design a pedestal, upon which the statue was placed. At that time it was already known whom it depicts. In the middle of XV century the Vatican librarian Palatina, compering the images of emperors on coins and the descriptions of ancient structures, came to the conclusion that a centuries-long error occurred.

The artistic mastery of the statue was appreciated during the Middle Ages. The author of   The Bamberg Horseman patterned his creation after it, while later it was imitated by generations of artists of the Renaissance (Donatello, Andrea del Verrocchio), the Baroque (Andreas Schlüter) or Classicism (Bertel Thorvaldsen). It may certainly be assumed that it was the most inspirational equestrian statue of all time.

Today it is found in an air-conditioned room, in order to bring down to a minimum the influence of the environment. In creating the copy of the statue, in order not to damage the gold coating and in no way weaken the metal tissue, it was not a direct cast that was used as is generally the case, but a computer model was applied, in order to, millimeter after millimeter copy the original structure of the sculpture. However, as opposed to the original it was not gilded.

Another copy of the ancient original is found in the Austrian city of Tulln, reminding us of the many centuries of Roman presence on the Danube. Therefore, it may be said that memory of the emperor in a tangible way survived for centuries. It is exactly what he dreamed of, musing on the passing of life and imperial rule.